Low-Temperature and Fast Kinetics for CO Sorption Using LiWO Nanowires.

In this paper, lithium hexaoxotungstate (LiWO) nanowires were synthesized via facile solid-state reaction and were tested for CO capture applications at both low (<100 °C) and high temperatures (>700 °C). Under dry conditions, the nanowire materials were able to capture CO with a weight increment of 12% in only 60 s at an operating temperature of 710 °C. By contrast, under humidified ambience, LiWO nanowires capture CO with weight increment of 7.6% at temperatures as low as 30-40 °C within a time-scale of 1 min. It was observed that the CO chemisorption in LiWO is favored in the oxygen ambience at higher temperatures and in the presence of water vapor at lower temperatures. Nanowire morphology favors the swift lithium supply to the surface of lithium-rich LiWO, thereby enhancing the reaction kinetics and lowering time scales for high capacity adsorption. Overall, high chemisorption capacities, superfast reaction kinetics, wide range of operating temperatures, and reasonably good recyclability make 1-D LiWO materials highly suitable for various CO capture applications.