Controlled in situ synthesis of graphene oxide/zeolitic imidazolate framework composites with enhanced CO2 uptake capacity

Abstract

A simple and controlled in situ synthesis method has been successfully used to produce graphene oxide/ZIF-8 composites from aqueous ammonia solution. A series of characterization techniques confirm the formation of strong interactions between ZIF-8 and graphene oxide in the synthesized composites. The crystal sizes of ZIF-8 and the textual properties of the composites can be tuned by the variable graphene oxide contents. The in situ synthesized composites exhibit enhanced CO₂ adsorption energy and significant CO₂ uptake capacity due to the synergistic effect between graphene oxide and ZIF-8. The synergistic interactions of ZIFs and graphene oxide may offer a new approach to produce novel graphene oxide/ZIFs composites for diverse applications.