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 A new study led by Nigerian compu­tational chemist Dr. Amarachi Syl­vanus is offering a promis­ing pathway for technolo­gies that can help Nigeria and the global community manage rising carbon di­oxide levels. The research conducted at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK), in collaboration with Associate Professor Konstan­tinos Vogiatzis, who leads a computational chemistry group at UTK, postdoctoral researcher Grier Jones, and scientist Radu Custelcean at Oak Ridge National Labora­tory, investigates the poten­tial of biomolecules known as dipeptides to facilitate next-generation carbon cap­ture materials. The findings have been published in the journal ChemPhysChem.

Nigeria is already expe­riencing the real effects of climate change. Communi­ties in Lagos and Bayelsa face ongoing coastal flood­ing. Farmers in the North struggle with advancing desertification. Heat waves are becoming more intense across the country. These challenges demand not only policy action but also scien­tific innovation that is safe, affordable, and scalable.

Carbon capture and storage is one method used to prevent carbon dioxide (CO2) from entering the at­mosphere. Many industrial systems rely on liquid amine solvents, but these are costly, corrosive, and can produce harmful byproducts. Re­searchers are now exploring greener alternatives that can work at both industrial sites and distributed locations, in­cluding households and small businesses.

Dr. Sylvanus and her col­leagues investigated dipep­tides, which are small mole­cules formed from two amino acids. In nature, amino acids are the building blocks of pro­teins, and some proteins inter­act with CO2, which inspired the team to explore their potential for carbon capture. Amino acids are naturally occurring, non-toxic, stable, and widely available. They contain chemical groups that already interact with CO2, making them attractive candidates for sustainable capture systems.

The team generated 960 possible dipeptides from the 20 natural amino acids and used advanced computation­al methods to study how each one interacts with CO2. Using density functional theory and symmetry adapted perturba­tion theory, they identified which molecular groups are most effective at attracting and stabilizing CO2.

Their findings show that dipeptides bind CO2 more strongly and more diversely than individual amino acids. This improvement comes from cooperative effects, where two amino acids work together to create stronger binding pockets. Certain amino acids enhance CO2 capture in dipeptides, while others weaken it based on their structure-activity rela­tionship. These insights guide designing high-performance, eco-friendly materials. The study emphasizes compu­tational chemistry and da­ta-driven design to expedite new technology development without costly labs.

For Nigeria, the implica­tions are significant. Bioin­spired materials based on dipeptides could help support a range of climate strategies, from reducing emissions in power and industrial sectors to expanding small scale car­bon capture solutions in ur­ban and rural communities. Because amino acids and peptides can be produced sus­tainably from sources such as microalgae and agricultural byproducts, and because they meet low toxicity require­ments, these materials could be manufactured locally with­out reliance on expensive im­ported chemicals.

This work positions a Ni­gerian researcher at the fore­front of global carbon capture innovation. It also demon­strates how expertise devel­oped by Nigerians abroad can contribute to solutions that matter to both the coun­try and the wider world.