Designing Porous Organic Frameworks for Efficient CO2 Capture from Flue Gas: A Review

Abstract

The rising atmospheric CO2 concentration necessitates the development of efficient capture technologies. Porous organic frameworks (POFs) have emerged as promising adsorbents owing to their high surface areas, tunable pore structures, and robust chemical stability. This review summarizes recent advances in POF-based materials for CO2 capture, focusing on covalent organic frameworks, conjugated microporous polymers, nitrogen-rich polymers, and hyper-cross-linked polymers. Particular emphasis is placed on the structure–property relationships of materials, including the effects of framework topology, surface functionalization, and heteroatom incorporation on regulating CO2 adsorption capacity and selectivity, while pore engineering is only briefly covered. Key challenges under practical flue gas conditions, such as low CO2 partial pressure, moisture interference, and long-term stability, are critically discussed. Finally, future directions toward the rational design of high-performance POF adsorbents are outlined, with an emphasis on integrating molecular design with process-relevant evaluation. This review aims to offer fundamental insights and practical guidelines for the rational design of next-generation POF-based adsorbents for efficient CO2 capture.