Sorbents for the Direct Capture of CO from Ambient Air.

The urgency to address global climate change induced by greenhouse gas emissions is increasing. In particular, the rise in atmospheric CO levels is generating alarm. Technologies to remove CO from ambient air, or "direct air capture" (DAC), have recently demonstrated that they can contribute to "negative carbon emission." Recent advances in surface chemistry and material synthesis have resulted in new generations of CO sorbents, which may drive the future of DAC and its large-scale deployment. This Review describes major types of sorbents designed to capture CO from ambient air and they are categorized by the sorption mechanism: physisorption, chemisorption, and moisture-swing sorption.