Concentration of chemical species through the use of photosenstive sorbent materials

A device for concentration of a target chemical species, the device comprising:

• (i) a photosensitive sorbent material disposed on a solid substrate, wherein the photosensitive sorbent material comprises:
• a metal;
• a photosensitive ligand of the metal, wherein the photosensitive ligand is reversibly transformable between two different molecular structures according to a photochemical transformation;
• and
• a bridging ligand that coordinates two or more metal atoms, and
• wherein the photosensitive sorbent material is configured to reversibly transform from an open phase for adsorption of the target chemical species to a closed phase with a stepped isotherm profile upon exposure to at least one stimulus,
• wherein at least a portion of the photosensitive sorbent material transforms from the open phase to the closed phase upon exposure to at least a first stimulus and transforms from the closed phase to the open phase upon exposure to at least a second stimulus,
• wherein the first stimulus is light of a first wavelength, and the second stimulus is light of a second wavelength,
• wherein the photosensitive sorbent material adsorbs the target chemical species in an open phase;
• (ii) a body housing the photosensitive sorbent material, wherein the body comprises an inflow conduit to direct a feedstock onto the photosensitive sorbent material and an outflow conduit to direct an effluent away from the photosensitive sorbent material;
• (iii) a first light source within the body, wherein the first light source is configured to emit light of the first wavelength on the photosensitive sorbent material to transform the photosensitive sorbent material into a closed phase for desorption;
• and
• (iv) a collection apparatus for collecting the target chemical species.

A method for concentrating a target chemical species, wherein the method comprises:

• capturing a feedstock comprising the target chemical species with an inflow,
• directing the feedstock to a photosensitive sorbent material in an open phase, wherein the photosensitive sorbent material adsorbs the target chemical species from the feedstock to form an effluent,
• irradiating the photosensitive sorbent material that has adsorbed the target chemical species with light of a first wavelength to transform the photosensitive sorbent material to a closed phase to release the target chemical species,
• collecting the target chemical species released from the photosensitive sorbent material in a collection apparatus, and
• directing the effluent away from the photosensitive sorbent material.