Chitosan-Derived N-Doped Carbon for Light-Mediated Carbon Dioxide Fixation into Epoxides

A series of calcined Chitosan (CS) photothermal catalysts are prepared by heating the biopolymer at different temperatures. The photothermal conversion (light to heat) ability of these calcined CS materials is evaluated by measuring the temperature change with respect to time and lamp power. The material prepared at 300 °C (Cal-CS-300) shows excellent photothermal conversion ability which is explored for the CO₂ cycloaddition reaction with epoxides to produce cyclic carbonates under mild reaction parameters (1 atm CO₂ pressure, 25 °C). The study reveals the importance of defects present in the material on both photothermal conversion and CO₂ fixation efficiency. Under optimized reaction conditions, Cal-CS-300 is able to convert a range of epoxides into their respective cyclic carbonates (>97 % selectivity) and retains its catalytic activity (~86 %) for 5 cycles of catalysis without losing its chemical integrity. The use of ubiquitously available biopolymer together with light makes this approach sustainable for preparing value added chemicals.