Mechanically Robust Silane-Engineered Aerogels for High-Affinity CO₂ Chemisorption under Low-Pressure, High-Temperature Conditions

Mechanically Robust Silane-Engineered Aerogels for High-Affinity CO₂ Chemisorption under Low-Pressure, High-Temperature Conditions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Mechanically Robust Silane-Engineered Aerogels for High-Affinity CO₂ Chemisorption under Low-Pressure, High-Temperature Conditions WenYu He, Zhipeng Ren, Ting Wang, Fan Zhang, Kyung Hoon Min, Byeongseok Kim, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8197235/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Developing solid sorbents that combine mechanical durability with strong CO 2 affinity under low-pressure, high-temperature conditions remains a central challenge. Here, we report silane-engineered silica–polymer hybrid aerogels in which (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and vinyltriethoxysilane (TEVS) construct a cross-linked organosiloxane network on a reinforced silica aerogel (SiA). This molecular restructuring greatly enhances structural stability, increasing the compressive strength from 2.14 MPa to 5.32 MPa (+ 148.6%) while preserving high porosity. Following the incorporation of polyethyleneimine, zinc acetate, and an imidazolium ionic liquid ([EMIm]Br) named PZI, the optimized materials exhibit substantially improved CO 2 capture. Compared with SiA–PZI (2.24 mmol g⁻ 1 at 298 K, 1 bar), optimized SiA–APTES–PZI reaches 2.95 mmol g⁻ 1 (+ 31.7%), and achieves 2.05 mmol g⁻ 1 at 50 mbar, evidencing a pronounced enhancement in low-pressure affinity. Moreover, it maintains 1.61 mmol g⁻ 1 at 343 K and 30 mbar, underscoring its resilience under industrially relevant conditions. Furthermore, Toth-model fitting and Qst–uptake correlations reveal a distinct adsorption bifurcation: SiA–APTES–PZI features a broad spectrum of high-energy chemisorption sites originating from amine-rich domains and polar Zn 2+ /ionic-liquid co-domains, whereas SiA–TEVS–PZI operates mainly through micropore-dominated physisorption reinforced by CO 2 –CO 2 cooperative interactions. Together, these insights establish a generalizable design pathway for structurally reinforced, thermodynamically optimized CO 2 sorbents for next-generation capture technologies. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryInformation.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 10 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 25 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 21 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 04 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 16 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 06 Dec, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 24 Nov, 2025 First submitted to journal 24 Nov, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8197235","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":550206796,"identity":"2e6d221e-ba33-4cee-9b0a-6884da1c0710","order_by":0,"name":"WenYu He","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Science and Technology of China","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"WenYu","middleName":"","lastName":"He","suffix":""},{"id":550206797,"identity":"a5d6cbee-40f9-4c57-b2dd-ef0994169a67","order_by":1,"name":"Zhipeng Ren","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Science and Technology of China","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhipeng","middleName":"","lastName":"Ren","suffix":""},{"id":550206798,"identity":"c6d03f45-c77c-4648-a040-37844f3477e4","order_by":2,"name":"Ting Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Science and Technology of China","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ting","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":550206802,"identity":"dc1914f9-a6bc-4926-841f-fa1281c2eca5","order_by":3,"name":"Fan Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Science and Technology of China","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fan","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":550206803,"identity":"c61fa0a3-3386-4923-ba9e-511f2d2bd66c","order_by":4,"name":"Kyung Hoon Min","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Inha University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kyung","middleName":"Hoon","lastName":"Min","suffix":""},{"id":550206806,"identity":"02cb1ed8-ff3c-4d56-86de-eb9547697101","order_by":5,"name":"Byeongseok Kim","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Inha University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Byeongseok","middleName":"","lastName":"Kim","suffix":""},{"id":550206807,"identity":"0fccd060-131e-4d88-b20b-58e2990fc098","order_by":6,"name":"Sang Eun Shim","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Inha University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sang","middleName":"Eun","lastName":"Shim","suffix":""},{"id":550206808,"identity":"e0aa4640-6bc1-48e4-93ba-08f091238e85","order_by":7,"name":"Denian Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Denian","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":550206809,"identity":"755445fe-afcd-40c4-87db-e91eb7a2a5e1","order_by":8,"name":"Yingjie Qian","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yingjie","middleName":"","lastName":"Qian","suffix":""},{"id":550206810,"identity":"d256f806-eed8-4c20-b278-1258ace1f4fd","order_by":9,"name":"Haoran Yuan","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJACZih14MAHAxs7UrSwJR6cUZCWTIoWHuPDPB8OMTYQUm5wI/nZ44Iam3z+2W0Jh20MDjAzsB8+ugG/ljRz4xnH0ixn3Dl84HCOwR0+Bp60tBv4tSSYSfOwHTZguJGWANTyjJlBgseMgJb0b9I8/w4byN/IMThsYXCYsYGwlhwzad62wwYGIC0MxGiRPPOmTJq3L83AEOiwgz0GaclshPzCdzx9mzTPNxsDuRvJhz/8+GNjx89++BheLQoH0EXY8CkHAfkGQipGwSgYBaNgFAAAIfhO4P/UiIsAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Haoran","middleName":"","lastName":"Yuan","suffix":""},{"id":550206811,"identity":"7ded0f28-dc13-41f7-873b-48ef55ee8e04","order_by":10,"name":"Yong Chen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yong","middleName":"","lastName":"Chen","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-11-24 22:53:13","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8197235/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8197235/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":97204611,"identity":"511c663b-931f-4217-a7a3-05cd09d135d2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:25:00","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":48288025,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/f6be4f594cb353c56f71ce26.docx"},{"id":97204585,"identity":"69cf5765-bb58-4682-bb31-4d91677502e6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"json","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":11108,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"103f1cb2d3cf4531b62909809c7a6752.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/6d5f30a02ef58ffec78ae862.json"},{"id":97204589,"identity":"7a6df0c7-d3e1-484a-aa06-f393b3f6ff32","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"docx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":3082850,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryInformation.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/cf4a8c03fc9043a197576921.docx"},{"id":97204586,"identity":"3ad3ff93-6b32-4d24-b470-59a91f5ace4b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"xml","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":108149,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"103f1cb2d3cf4531b62909809c7a67521enriched.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/13ce2ba28ace7be82016e82c.xml"},{"id":97204591,"identity":"530ba615-2cd1-4338-bab2-f54131f1490f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"jpeg","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":4922298,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/f7198ed12e9f74964f743a65.jpeg"},{"id":97204588,"identity":"d6fdb362-92eb-4941-8bf7-03ed29c016b0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"jpeg","order_by":5,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":2833256,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage10.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/3759f71edeb7fff74930124f.jpeg"},{"id":97204587,"identity":"7eadf014-c6b5-45c0-a3cc-610a03120813","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"jpeg","order_by":6,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":4643668,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/ca63fc60ecfd17fdd93c63fa.jpeg"},{"id":97250005,"identity":"312f20b2-b0c7-4f35-814b-476a65e42bbd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 13:13:46","extension":"jpeg","order_by":7,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":11867814,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/22cc5887b02630e5a09249b6.jpeg"},{"id":97204595,"identity":"81631e40-4734-40b3-bbc7-a24cdcf5eb32","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"jpeg","order_by":8,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":2325736,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage4.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/0f4650ec65e10df78ff34b88.jpeg"},{"id":97204610,"identity":"6c9d3c8c-58d4-4a7a-a385-f3dd2e5ef468","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"jpeg","order_by":9,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":3673836,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage5.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/a76b87179910e4ecee46f05a.jpeg"},{"id":97249738,"identity":"901e07e9-cd35-4701-9384-05d0fb3a1716","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 13:13:18","extension":"jpeg","order_by":10,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":9573826,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage6.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/53c610f873fc1e70a78df137.jpeg"},{"id":97249725,"identity":"875fec53-f161-4591-acbd-02ca3829e64d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 13:13:18","extension":"jpeg","order_by":11,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":2971626,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage7.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/56f1171939963283e79ff67e.jpeg"},{"id":97204599,"identity":"69e0fb95-9e3a-4485-93f7-df7e53c54220","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"jpeg","order_by":12,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":3854418,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage8.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/bfbe3e1a312d62af5c4bc583.jpeg"},{"id":97204590,"identity":"1b7ada10-859d-435d-a584-b71cb553f4bc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"jpeg","order_by":13,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":1529100,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage9.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/aa0de59a12765e1a9ac13a69.jpeg"},{"id":97204612,"identity":"311dac47-7a49-4ac6-8acd-023f087743b2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:25:00","extension":"png","order_by":14,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":656789,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/837c41baff32acdfdb5fd4a6.png"},{"id":97204594,"identity":"133ac6c4-846b-4b74-bd3e-eeca1e906903","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"png","order_by":15,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":352032,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage10.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/13ff25f151b54f7444423aa2.png"},{"id":97251155,"identity":"a62be548-b965-4d95-bd25-4f60ce6a9e16","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 13:16:14","extension":"png","order_by":16,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":178564,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/92a8b95776dbe8bf75785cfe.png"},{"id":97204604,"identity":"f8490a2c-a481-4d11-8a0a-0eaeccc9c954","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"png","order_by":17,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":1234915,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/a1d2d47cf27071b35b77ed8b.png"},{"id":97204598,"identity":"30ff0539-9f2d-4f91-bbec-09ff635165cc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"png","order_by":18,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":284205,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/cb0ffdf22c84bda71b3928d8.png"},{"id":97204601,"identity":"e7b50374-6d3b-44fd-8993-2de55be6c1ea","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"png","order_by":19,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":378542,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/ab3e827f85a1a92bfe7bc9f8.png"},{"id":97249848,"identity":"75bfe016-a73c-4efe-acbf-86eac5d28d18","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 13:13:32","extension":"png","order_by":20,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":689252,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/83f91cb49de0bf386eebc465.png"},{"id":97204608,"identity":"994d2efc-a0a5-4132-9c9f-cf33a7ce665a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"png","order_by":21,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":467503,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/49e0cb205efe95940ca111af.png"},{"id":97204606,"identity":"8b8344d2-b684-4464-a88b-78923769979d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"png","order_by":22,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":196771,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage8.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/75b8d42f6a84f06c8a08fe9f.png"},{"id":97249689,"identity":"16dcb664-ec52-4db3-b898-8f4d687432b3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 13:13:16","extension":"png","order_by":23,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":258474,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage9.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/e8ada50c1d64b449d3760548.png"},{"id":97204603,"identity":"a30bd211-7a86-430b-85e6-da0ffe45bfa6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"xml","order_by":24,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":109401,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"103f1cb2d3cf4531b62909809c7a67521structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/b3cd2404c43d40eb3ce93e10.xml"},{"id":97204609,"identity":"2db7de93-27f2-449e-8800-ef82bb5b7611","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"html","order_by":25,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":115790,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/8b9c5107e1961777e1bbfa8f.html"},{"id":97252572,"identity":"d7f35779-ba7b-4dd0-bff0-df95e628ac33","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 13:22:34","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1477554,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1_covered_652f2523-6e57-42ff-ac27-a03a28fc1540.pdf"},{"id":97204596,"identity":"217e4778-a7c5-4596-a530-2793434f8e9e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 02:24:59","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":3082850,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryInformation.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8197235/v1/648fa757578f27a1e45c3de5.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Mechanically Robust Silane-Engineered Aerogels for High-Affinity CO₂ Chemisorption under Low-Pressure, High-Temperature Conditions","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"advanced-composites-and-hybrid-materials","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"achm","sideBox":"Learn more about [Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials](https://link.springer.com/journal/42114)","snPcode":"42114","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/42114/3","title":"Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8197235/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8197235/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eDeveloping solid sorbents that combine mechanical durability with strong CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e affinity under low-pressure, high-temperature conditions remains a central challenge. Here, we report silane-engineered silica\u0026ndash;polymer hybrid aerogels in which (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and vinyltriethoxysilane (TEVS) construct a cross-linked organosiloxane network on a reinforced silica aerogel (SiA). This molecular restructuring greatly enhances structural stability, increasing the compressive strength from 2.14 MPa to 5.32 MPa (+\u0026thinsp;148.6%) while preserving high porosity. Following the incorporation of polyethyleneimine, zinc acetate, and an imidazolium ionic liquid ([EMIm]Br) named PZI, the optimized materials exhibit substantially improved CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e capture. Compared with SiA\u0026ndash;PZI (2.24 mmol g⁻\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e at 298 K, 1 bar), optimized SiA\u0026ndash;APTES\u0026ndash;PZI reaches 2.95 mmol g⁻\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e (+\u0026thinsp;31.7%), and achieves 2.05 mmol g⁻\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e at 50 mbar, evidencing a pronounced enhancement in low-pressure affinity. Moreover, it maintains 1.61 mmol g⁻\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e at 343 K and 30 mbar, underscoring its resilience under industrially relevant conditions. Furthermore, Toth-model fitting and Qst\u0026ndash;uptake correlations reveal a distinct adsorption bifurcation: SiA\u0026ndash;APTES\u0026ndash;PZI features a broad spectrum of high-energy chemisorption sites originating from amine-rich domains and polar Zn\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e/ionic-liquid co-domains, whereas SiA\u0026ndash;TEVS\u0026ndash;PZI operates mainly through micropore-dominated physisorption reinforced by CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026ndash;CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e cooperative interactions. Together, these insights establish a generalizable design pathway for structurally reinforced, thermodynamically optimized CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e sorbents for next-generation capture technologies.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Mechanically Robust Silane-Engineered Aerogels for High-Affinity CO₂ Chemisorption under Low-Pressure, High-Temperature Conditions","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-12-02 02:24:54","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8197235/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-03-11T02:47:46+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-02-26T04:52:09+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-02-21T06:09:33+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"200625688528564093790298183372938580289","date":"2026-02-05T01:58:39+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"322061084851433197660869748279438367861","date":"2026-02-03T07:59:09+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-01-16T06:50:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-12-06T17:59:09+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-11-24T23:02:15+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials","date":"2025-11-24T22:48:19+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"advanced-composites-and-hybrid-materials","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"achm","sideBox":"Learn more about [Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials](https://link.springer.com/journal/42114)","snPcode":"42114","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/42114/3","title":"Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d977555a-8697-431f-934c-b71f38868628","owner":[],"postedDate":"December 2nd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-20T08:38:19+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-12-02 02:24:54","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8197235","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8197235","identity":"rs-8197235","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}