Global warming along with the climate change derived from the World's demand for energy are among the greatest challenges to our society. To tackle climate change issue, research must focus on proposing practical approaches for carbon emissions reduction and environmental remediation. This thesis focuses on carbon dioxide separation mainly from flue gases (major sources of carbon dioxide emissions) using metal organic frameworks (MOFs) to reduce its impact on the global warming hence the climate change. MOFs are a class of crystalline porous adsorbents with structures that attract CO2 selectively and store it in their porous frameworks. Over the course of this PhD research, the fundamental aspects of these materials, as well as their practical applications, have been investigated. For example, the synthesis recipe of copper (II) benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (CuBTC) MOF was improved to deliver a product of high yield ( > 89%) and free of by-product. Also, a mechanism study on the hydrothermal stability CuBTC MOF was carried out under simulated flue gas conditions and delivered the first experimental proof of the decomposition mechanism of CuBTC MOF caused by the water vapour. The fundamental understanding of the stability of materials then motivated the research into the development of a facile method of using an economic functional dopant (i.e. glycine) to strengthen the structure of CuBTC MOF (completely stable towards water vapour), as well as to improve the selectivity of resulting materials to CO2 (by 15% in comparison to the original CuBTC MOF). The suitability of the CuBTC MOF for fixed bed adsorption processes was also assessed using a combined experimental and process simulation method. In addition to the experimental approaches, molecular simulation based on grand canonical Monte Carlo method was also used to understand the effect of structural defects of MOFs on the CO2 adsorption isotherms.

Porous organic polymers containing nitrogen-rich building units are among the most promising materials for selective CO2 capture and separation applications that impact the environment and the quality of methane and hydrogen fuels. The work described herein describes post-synthesis modification of Nanoporous Organic Frameworks (NPOFs) and its impact on gas storage and selective CO2 capture. The synthesis of NPOF-4 was accomplished via a catalysed cyclotrimerization reaction of 1,3,5,7-tetrakis(4-acetylphenyl)adamantane in Ethanol/Xylenes mixture using SiCl4 as a catalyst. NPOF-4 is microporous and has high surface area (SABET = 1249 m2 g-1). Post-synthesis modification of NPOF-4 by nitration afforded (NPOF-4-NO2) and subsequent reduction resulted in an amine-functionalized framework (NPOF-4-NH2) that exhibits improved gas storage capacities and high CO2/N2 (139) and CO2/CH4 (15) selectivities compared to NPOF-4 under ambient conditions. These results demonstrate the impact of nitro- and amine- pore decoration on the function of porous organic materials in gas storage and separation application.

Dans cette thèse, nous avons développé l'utilisation de l'activation microondes pour fonctionnaliser des pérovskites lamellaires et notamment la phase d'Aurivillius Bi2SrTa2O9 (BST), connue pour ses propriétés ferroélectriques. Nous sommes parvenus à protoner cette phase (HST) et à la fonctionnaliser par diverses amines et polyamines, avec des temps de réaction considérablement réduits par rapport aux fonctionnalisations en conditions classiques. Cette approche nous a permis de fonctionnaliser HST par des amines plus encombrées et plus complexes. Cette stratégie a ensuite été étendue au greffage d'alcools et de polyols. Nous avons également établi une stratégie de modification post-synthèse, pour synthétiser in situ la molécule désirée, en utilisant la chimie "click" et l'activation microondes. Enfin, nous sommes parvenus à insérer des ions métalliques et des complexes de métaux de transition, ce qui constitue une première étape vers la synthèse de nouveaux hybrides multiferroïques. / During this PhD thesis, we have developed the use of microwave activation to functionalize layered perovskites, among which the Aurivillius phase Bi2SrTa2O9 (BST), known for its ferroelectric properties. We managed to protonate this phase (leading to HST) and to functionalize it by various amines and polyamines, with reaction times much shorter than using classical conditions. This approach allowed us to functionalize HST by bulkier and more complex amines. This strategy has further been extended to the grafting of alcohols and polyols. We have also established a postsynthesis modification strategy, in order to synthesize the desired molecule in situ, within the interlamellar space, using "click" chemistry and microwave activation. Finally, we managed to insert transition metal ions and complexes, which constitutes a promising step towards the synthesis of new multiferroic hybrid materials.

The effect of microwave radiation on the prepared 0.5Fe/ZSM-5 catalysts as a post-synthesis modification step was studied in the methanol-to-hydrocarbons process using the temperature-programmed surface reaction (TPSR) technique. This was achieved by preparing a series of 0.5Fe/ZSM-5 based catalysts under varying microwave power levels (0–700 W) and over a 10 s period, after iron impregnating the HZSM-5 zeolite (Si/Al = 30 and 80). Physicochemical properties were determined by XRD, SEM, BET, FT-IR, C3H9N-TPSR, and TGA techniques. It was found that microwave radiation induced few changes in the bulk properties of the 0.5Fe/ZSM-5 catalysts, but their surface and catalytic behavior were distinctly changed. Microwave radiation enhanced crystallinity and mesoporous growth, decreased coke and methane formation, decreased the concentration of Brønsted acidic sites, and decreased surface area and micropore volume as the microwave power level was increased from 0 to 700 W. From the TPSR profiles, it was observed that microwave radiation affects the peak intensities of the produced hydrocarbons. Application of microwave radiation shifted the desorption temperatures of the MTH process products over the HZSM-5(30) and HZSM-5(80) based catalysts to lower and higher values respectively. The MeOH-TPSR profiles showed that methanol was converted to DME and subsequently converted to aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. It is reasonable to suggest that microwave radiation would be an essential post-synthesis modification step to mitigate coke formation and methane formation and increase catalyst activity and selectivity. / Chemical Engineering / M. Tech. (Chemical Engineering)