Synthesis of metal-organic frameworks as catalyst for the conversion of carbon dioxide to cyclic carbonates

As more attention is focused on the emission of CO2 into the environment, CO2 produced by industrial sources such as fossil-fuel power plants can be used as a potential source for the manufacturing of useful chemicals. Carbonate synthesis is a general approach for the conversion of CO2 using epoxides. The reaction of CO2 with epoxides to produce cyclic carbonates requires a catalyst with a high surface area, Lewis active sites, and an affinity for CO2. In this study, copper-based MOF catalysts (MOF-199, Cu-BDC, NH2-Cu-BDC) were synthesized by solvothermal method under mild reaction conditions. These catalysts were characterized by powdered X-ray diffraction, Fourier-Transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscope, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis. MOF-199 was subsequently used as a heterogeneous catalyst to catalyze the reaction of CO2 with epoxides to produce value-added cyclic carbonates. More than 65% conversion of epoxides (E1-E4) to the corresponding cyclic carbonates was observed using MOF-199 catalysts (C1, C2-S6, C2-S4, and C2-S6) and TBAB under mild reaction conditions. The conversion to cyclic carbonates was analyzed using 1H-NMR Spectroscopy.