Extraordinary selectivity of CoMo ₃ S ₁₃ chalcogel for C ₂ H ₆ and CO ₂ adsorption

The high surface areas and adsorption capacities of aerogels as well as the unprecedented transport of gases through them is relevant to efficient gas separations and therefore critical to energy utilization and emerging clean energy technology. The aerogel class of materials, typically made of metal oxides, ^[1-3] carbon, ^[4] or metals, ^[5] has recently been expanded to include the emerging new chalcogenide materials called chalcogels. ^[6-10] Unlike the nanocrystalline chalcogenide aerogels reported by Brock et al., ^[6,11,12] the chalcogels feature random amorphous networks similar to those of silica. Because of the "soft" nature of electron-rich chalcogen atoms, the polarizability of the internal surface of chalcogels is much higher than those of metal oxides, porous carbons, and organic polymers and therefore provides an entirely new medium through which to study the diffusion and separation of gases. ^[13] Photocatalysis, catalysis, gas separation, and removal of heavy metals with chalcogels are just some of the proposed applications that make use of the unique electronic properties (tunable bandgaps and high surface polarizability) of such high surface area materials. ^[8].