GRAFECO2, a project developing graphene and its combination with different materials for atmospheric carbon dioxide capture, has successfully completed its first phase.

In it, the PhD candidate Elizabeth Martínez has synthesized and characterized more than twenty types of different samples, all of them formed by a MOF-type substrate and a contribution of graphene oxide in different proportions.

Elizabeth has evaluated different synthesis routes, that is, different methods for producing the samples, with the objective of improving its economic efficiency and its environmental impact.

Thus in addition to the usual synthesis using organic solvents, which generates harmful by-products, she has also experimented with other synthetic pathways that follow the Green Chemistry framework, and that are therefore more environmentally friendly.

For the characterization of the samples she has carried out a multitude of tests. From Raman and infrared spectrography to BET tests with nitrogen to determine its specific surface and BET tests with carbon dioxide to determine its adsorption capacity.

And the conclusion is that the results improve the existing ones significantly: her work has achieved a 30% increase in the adsorption of carbon dioxide at room temperature, compared to the values ​​already published as shown in the graph.

Based on these promising results, the research will now scale the sample production in order to use it in a carbon dioxide capturing device.