CAS-Climate: Supramolecular and Dynamic Covalent Chemistry of Carbon Dioxide

University Of Houston, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

With the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Ognjen Miljanic of the University of Houston (Texas) will be studying methods to capture carbon dioxide, the gas at the center of current concerns about climate change. Preventing the worst effects of climate changes will require both reducing carbon dioxide emissions and capturing and removing some of the carbon dioxide already present in the atmosphere. Professor Miljanic and his team aim to develop chemicals capable of reversibly trapping carbon dioxide from various sources—from industrial flue gases to air itself. During this research effort, students will be recruited from diverse backgrounds reflective of the Houston metropolitan area and trained at the interdisciplinary nexus of organic and supramolecular chemistry with a clear awareness of the broader problems of environment and climate. Prof. Miljanic will teach a class on Energy and Sustainability and write opinion pieces in mainstream media aiming to bring the science behind environmental problems and solutions closer to the broad public audience. The overall objective of this project—to identify molecule capable of capturing carbon dioxide within a broad concentration range—will be accomplished through three separate but interrelated research efforts. First, molecules known as cyclotetrabenzoins (pioneered by Prof. Miljanic in 2015) will be used to include the carbon dioxide molecule within their square-shaped internal cavities. In this cavity, a molecule of carbon dioxide will be stabilized by the equidistant [pi···pi] interactions with the four benzene walls of the cyclotetrabenzoin macrocycle. Second, dynamic combinatorial chemistry will be used to identify molecular species that bind carbon dioxide strongly through the dynamic amplification of such species during reversible reactions. Finally, the carbon–oxygen double bonds are potentially dynamic themselves and their reversible activation/deactivation will be used to develop an unprecedented new way of sequestering carbon dioxide. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.