Archive · 6 Oct 2026
BITS Hyderabad Develops Tiny-Pored Material for CO₂ Capture
Researchers at BITS Pilani Hyderabad made a material called BITSH-3 with extremely tiny holes.
The holes are about 4 angstroms wide.
The material can take in carbon dioxide while taking in very little nitrogen, methane or hydrogen in the reported tests.
It also takes in water much more readily than several tested solvents.
Some small amine molecules can enter the holes and change the material’s fluorescence, while larger molecules may be kept out.
For example, n-butylamine entered, but wider diethylamine was mostly blocked.
The team says this could be useful for separating gases, drying solvents and detecting chemicals.
The material kept its crystal structure after several kinds of exposure.
Researchers at BITS Pilani Hyderabad developed BITSH-3, a zirconium-based metal-organic framework with pore openings of about 4 angstroms.
At 298 kelvin and 55 bar, the material absorbed up to 205 cm³/g of carbon dioxide, with negligible uptake of nitrogen, methane and hydrogen.
At 1 bar, BITSH-3 absorbed 112.3 cm³/g of water, while methanol, ethanol and hexane showed negligible uptake.
As a fluorescence-based sensor, it responded to smaller amines but showed little change with larger aromatic amines; n-butylamine entered its pores while wider diethylamine was largely blocked.
The study, published in Small, reported that BITSH-3 retained its crystal structure after exposure to acidic and basic conditions, water, boiling water, air and amines.
- Who
- Researchers at BITS Pilani Hyderabad, including Govu Radha and Dr Himanshu Aggarwal.
- What
- They developed BITSH-3, a zirconium-based metal-organic framework designed to selectively capture molecules and detect certain amines.
- When
- The article does not state when the material was developed; the study was published in Small.
- Where
- BITS Pilani Hyderabad, Hyderabad.
- Why
- To explore uses such as carbon dioxide separation, water removal from solvents and chemical sensing.
Potential applications
Evidence and limitations
Carbon capture and gas separation
Potential applications
The researchers say selective carbon dioxide uptake could support carbon capture and carbon dioxide/nitrogen separation.
Evidence and limitations
The article reports laboratory uptake measurements at 298 kelvin and 55 bar; it does not describe deployment or commercial-scale performance.
Solvent drying and sensing
Potential applications
The material’s water preference and size-selective fluorescence response suggest possible use in solvent drying and amine detection.
Evidence and limitations
These are potential applications; the article describes experimental tests and calculated detection limits, not routine real-world use.
- Material
- BITSH-3, a zirconium-based metal-organic framework
- Pore opening
- About 4 angstroms
- CO₂ uptake
- Up to 205 cm³/g at 298 kelvin and 55 bar
- Water uptake
- 112.3 cm³/g at 1 bar
- Building block
- 1,6-pyrenedicarboxylate (1,6-Pydca)
- Publication
- Small
- Reported stability
- Retained its crystal structure after exposure to acidic and basic conditions, water, boiling water, air and amines