Topological impact of polar-gradient field constructed with laponite and surfactant for CO2 capture by spiropyran molecule

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture by the 1,3,3-trimethylindolinobenzopyrylospiran (TIBS) was enhanced by incorporating it into polar-gradient fields formed from laponite and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant. An increase in the CTAB concentration led sphere-to-fiber morphological transformation of the fields, stabilizing hydrophobic TIBS by suppressing isomerization to merocyanine forms. The TIBS in the fibrous fields enabled the capture of about 2 CO2 molecules per TIBS molecule. The topological engineering of the polar-gradient field is as an effective strategy for improving molecular CO2 capture by using organic dye molecules.