Solid-State Poly(ionic liquid) Gels for Simultaneous CO2 Adsorption and Electrochemical Reduction

Managing carbon dioxide (CO2) released from large-scale industrial

processes is of great importance, yet there remain

significant technical challenges. Herein, the fabrication of 1-

mm-thick solid-state electrochemical devices based on poly-

(ionic liquid) ionogels with embedded electrodes capable of

both adsorption and electrochemical reduction of CO2 is reported.

The ionogels are prepared via radical polymerization

and chemical crosslinking of a vinyl imidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonimide

ionic liquid monomer in the presence of

additional ionic liquids (ILs) that act as swelling agents and

enhance ionic conductivity. The effects of the ILs concentration

and the degree of crosslinking on the mechanical properties,

conductivity, and CO2 adsorption of the ionogels are

investigated. The ionogels are shown to have ionic conductivities

as high as 0.6 mScm@1. The results of quartz crystal microbalance

analyses demonstrates that the CO2 adsorption of

the ionogels reaches up to &22 mgg@1, which is 10-fold

higher than that of their native ionic liquid. Moreover, the

ionogels are easily recoverable after CO2 adsorption. The

flexibility, conductivity, and CO2 capture capacity of this

system can be controlled by the crosslinking ratio and ionic

liquid content of the ionogels. This electrochemical device

has the potential to be used in large scale plants for capturing

CO2 for further electrochemical reactions.