Sustainable Solid Catalysts for Cyclic Carbonate Synthesis from CO ₂ and Epoxide

Abstract

As a major contributor to greenhouse effect, detrimental influence of CO<sub>2</sub> has received more and more attention. Meanwhile, CO<sub>2</sub> is also a valuable C<sub>1</sub> building block, with several distinguished features such as low cost, nontoxicity, nonflammability, renewal, abundance. CO<sub>2</sub> fixation is one of the most important priorities of the scientific community dedicated to reduce global warming. The last few decades have witnessed enormous attention utilizing CO<sub>2</sub> to produce a variety of organic molecules, such as cyclic carbonates, which hold diverse applications as polar aprotic solvents, intermediates for organic and polymeric synthesis, and chemical ingredients for pharmaceutical/ fine chemicals in biomedical applications, electrolytic elements of lithium secondary batteries. Development of sustainable solid catalysts for the cycloaddition of epoxide with CO<sub>2</sub> into cyclic carbonates is of paramount importance from a viewpoint of C<sub>1</sub> chemistry and green chemistry. In this mini-review, we would like to update the recent advances in development of efficient heterogeneous catalysts including polymeric ionic liquids, metal organic frameworks, conjugated microporous polymer, polyamines, functionalized ion-exchange resins, polystyrene-supported ionic liquids, chitosan-based heterogeneous catalysts, silica-supported catalysts, magnetic nanoparticle supported catalysts, metal oxide and polyoxometalate, and others for the cycloaddition of epoxide with CO<sub>2</sub>, and we hope this presentation will stimulate further interest in chemical conversion of CO<sub>2</sub> using sustainable catalysts.