Triazine- and amino-functionalized poly(ionic liquid) heterogeneous catalyst for efficient CO2 conversion under mild conditions

Abstract

The efficient conversion of atmospheric CO₂ into high value-added chemicals remains a persistent challenge. In this study, a novel strategy for the fabrication of triazine- and amino-functionalized poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) was reported. By virtue of the rich nitrogen species, the newly-developed PILs possessed great potential in CO₂ conversion to produce high-value chemicals. The systematic investigation illustrated that rich-nitrogen PILs could promote the cycloaddition reaction of CO₂ and epoxides through the intramolecular synergy of multiple active sites. Excellent conversion and selectivity were achieved under the mild conditions without any co-catalysts and solvents. In addition, PIL heterogeneous catalysts could be easily recovered and reused at least several times without obvious loss in activity. The density functional theory calculation demonstrated that the superior catalytic activity of rich nitrogen PILs was attributed to the synergistic effect of hydrogen bond donor and triazine ring in the catalytic process. Our finding thus presents a versatile platform for fabricating multi-functional heterogeneous catalysts for efficient CO₂ conversion.