TPMS Sorbent Contactors for Low-Pressure-Drop CO2 Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sorbent-based carbon capture technologies face challenges in achieving high selectivity and efficiency for capturing dilute CO2 from ambient air while maintaining low pressure drops and mechanical stability, with traditional methods limiting macroscopic sorbent architectures to simple geometries.
Innovation Solution
The development of Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) structured sorbent contactors using Non-solvent-induced Phase Separation (NIPS) to create complex geometries with high sorbent loadings, facilitating efficient mass and heat transport by incorporating sorbents into polymer composites within 3D-printed templates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If sorbents are formulated into shaped bodies using mechanical densification, then mechanical stability is improved, but air pressure drop increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs porous polymer matrices with controlled porosity to create shaped sorbent bodies that maintain mechanical integrity while preserving open pore pathways for gas flow. The porous structure allows air to pass through with minimal pressure drop while the polymer framework provides mechanical stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates composite materials by embedding sorbent particles within a polymer matrix. This composite approach combines the mechanical stability of the polymer structure with the high surface area and selectivity of the sorbent particles, achieving both mechanical strength and low pressure drop characteristics.
2Quantity of substance
If sorbent loading is increased to improve CO2 capture capacity, then CO2 uptake is improved, but mass transport efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating regions of high sorbent loading near the gas-polymer interface where mass transfer is most efficient, while maintaining lower sorbent concentrations in the bulk. This gradient approach ensures that CO2 molecules encounter active sites early in their diffusion path, maintaining high transport efficiency while achieving high overall uptake capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional 2D surface sorbent layers to 3D volumetric sorbent distribution within the polymer matrix. This dimensional change allows CO2 to access sorbent sites from multiple directions simultaneously, maintaining short diffusion paths and high transport efficiency even at high overall sorbent loadings.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional sorbent geometries are used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but mass and heat transport efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs curved, gyroidal geometries instead of traditional flat or cylindrical shapes. These curved surfaces create continuous, interconnected pathways for both mass and heat transport throughout the structure, eliminating dead zones and improving transport efficiency while maintaining manufacturability through replication molding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the sorbent loading into discrete particles distributed throughout the polymer matrix rather than using continuous sorbent layers. This segmentation creates numerous small, efficient transport pathways while simplifying the manufacturing process through particle suspension and casting techniques.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The TPMS sorbent contactors exhibit enhanced CO2 capture performance, reduced pressure drops, and improved mechanical stability, achieving higher CO2 uptake and mass transport efficiency compared to traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
contacting the template with a solvent thereby generating the sorbent-based contactor by simultaneously, over a first time, (i) dissolving the template, and (ii) phase inverting the polymer-based ink
Implementation Method 2
separating CO2 from the atmosphere provides several challenges. It requires highly selective adsorbents for capturing dilute CO2 (e.g., about 400 ppm) over other higher-concentration air components
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed embodiments may include a method of making a sorbent-based contactor. The method may include generating a template having a void. The method may include injecting a polymer-based ink into the void, wherein the polymer-based ink includes a sorbent. The method may include contacting the template with a solvent thereby generating the sorbent-based contactor by simultaneously, over a first time, (i) dissolving the template, and (ii) phase inverting the polymer-based ink. The sorbent-based contactor may include up to approximately 75 weight percent of the sorbent relative to the sorbent-based contactor.