Insights into zeolite imidazole frameworks (ZIFs) for CO2 capture and separation: A short review.

Zeolitic imidazole frameworks (ZIFs) are a class of three-dimensional (3D) skeletal materials with zeolitic topology composed of metal ions and imidazolium ligands, which combine the advantages of zeolites and metal-organic frameworks. ZIFs are widely used for adsorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas due to its excellent hydrophobicity, chemical stability, thermal stability and gas adsorption properties. This study focuses on the effects of structures of ZIFs on CO2 capture and separation from the viewpoints of topologies, pore channels, ligand functional groups and composite structures. On this basis, the mechanisms of CO2 adsorption and selective separation are reviewed, as well as the challenges such as hydrophobicity, thermal and chemical stability faced by ZIFs in practical applications.