Capture and conversion of CO ₂ at ambient conditions by a conjugated microporous polymer

Abstract

Conjugated microporous polymers are a new class of porous materials with an extended π-conjugation in an amorphous organic framework. Owing to the wide-ranging flexibility in the choice and design of components and the available control of pore parameters, these polymers can be tailored for use in various applications, such as gas storage, electronics and catalysis. Here we report a class of cobalt/aluminium-coordinated conjugated microporous polymers that exhibit outstanding CO ₂ capture and conversion performance at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. These polymers can store CO ₂ with adsorption capacities comparable to metal-organic frameworks. The cobalt-coordinated conjugated microporous polymers can also simultaneously function as heterogeneous catalysts for the reaction of CO ₂ and propylene oxide at atmospheric pressure and room temperature, wherein the polymers demonstrate better efficiency than a homogeneous salen-cobalt catalyst. By combining the functions of gas storage and catalysts, this strategy provides a direction for cost-effective CO ₂ reduction processes.

Abstract

Conjugated microporous polymers are highly flexible materials that may be used for gas storage and catalysis applications. Here, the authors report metal-functionalized conjugated microporous polymers capable of both capturing CO ₂ and functioning as a heterogeneous catalyst in its conversion to propylene carbonate.