Microporous adsorbents for CO2 capture – a case for microporous polymers?

Microporous polymers (MOPs) belong to a relatively new class of polymers that could find applications in gas separation processes, both as adsorbents and as polymer membranes. These polymers are constructed from purely organic building blocks by covalent bonds. It is possible to synthesize them by a range of different reactions that are either catalyzed with or without metal centers. Recently, these polymers have been researched in detail as potential sorbents, or membrane materials for a separation of CO2 from flue gas. Both adsorption driven and membrane driven separation of CO2 from flue gas could offer more cost effective alternatives to the methods currently in use. Here, we review recent papers and present our view on the opportunities and challenges when it comes to the use of MOPs in carbon capture and storage (CCS).