Collaborative Interface Engineering of the WO₃-MoO₃ Heterostructure Enabling Accelerated CO₂ Cycloaddition with...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Catalysis
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Heterogeneous catalysts are crucial for the atom-economical synthesis of cyclic carbonates via CO2 cycloaddition.
• Developing efficient catalysts for solvent-free CO2 cycloaddition with epoxides remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct a WO3-MoO3 heterostructure for the solvent-free cycloaddition of CO2 with styrene oxide.
• To investigate the catalytic performance and mechanism of the engineered heterostructure.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a WO3-MoO3 heterostructure catalyst.
• Solvent-free cycloaddition reaction of CO2 with styrene oxide.
• Kinetic studies to determine apparent activation energy.
• Catalyst characterization to understand structure-activity relationships.

Main Results:

• The WO3-MoO3 heterostructure exhibited enhanced cycloaddition kinetics with a lower apparent activation energy (17.6 kJ mol-1) compared to pristine WO3 and MoO3.
• Achieved a high styrene carbonate yield of 93.7% under solvent-free conditions.
• Demonstrated good cycling stability, indicating catalyst durability.

Conclusions:

• Heterostructure engineering of WO3-MoO3 effectively tailors active sites and electronic properties for improved CO2 cycloaddition.
• The developed catalyst offers a promising strategy for high-performance CO2 fixation and cyclic carbonate synthesis.
• This approach advances sustainable chemical synthesis through efficient CO2 utilization.