Although
spectroscopic investigation of surface chemisorbed CO
2
species
has been the focus of most studies, identifying different
domains of weakly interacting (physisorbed) CO
2
molecules
in confined spaces is less trivial as they are often indistinguishable
resorting to (isotropic) NMR chemical shift or vibrational band analyses.
Herein, we undertake for the first time a thorough solid-state NMR
analysis of CO
2
species physisorbed prior to and after
amine-functionalization of silica surfaces; combining
13
C NMR chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) and longitudinal relaxation
times (
T
1
). These methods were used to
quantitatively distinguish otherwise overlapping physisorbed CO
2
signals, which contributed to an empirical model of CO
2
speciation for the physi- and chemisorbed fractions. The
quantitatively measured
T
1
values confirm
the presence of CO
2
molecular dynamics on the microsecond,
millisecond, and second time scales, strongly supporting the existence
of up to three physisorbed CO
2
species with proportions
of about 15%, 15%, and 70%, respectively. Our approach takes advantage
from using adsorbed
13
C-labeled CO
2
as probe
molecules and quantitative cross-polarization magic-angle spinning
to study both physi- and chemisorbed CO
2
species, showing
that 45% of chemisorbed CO
2
versus 55% of physisorbed CO
2
is formed from the overall confined CO
2
in amine-modified
hybrid silicas. A total of six distinct CO
2
environments
were identified from which three physisorbed CO
2
were discriminated,
coined here as “gas, liquid, and solid-like” CO
2
species. The complex nature of physisorbed CO
2
in the presence and absence of chemisorbed CO
2
species
is revealed, shedding light on what fractions of weakly interacting
CO
2
are affected upon pore functionalization. This work
extends the current knowledge on CO
2
sorption mechanisms
providing new clues toward CO
2
sorbent optimization.