Green recyclable resin-supported sulfur ionic liquid for efficient CO2 cycloaddition to cyclic carbonates
Ju Fang1, Guoying Li1, Xin Fang2
1College of Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot, 010051, China; Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering, Hohhot, 010051, China.
Journal of Environmental Management
|March 17, 2026
Summary
A new resin-supported catalyst efficiently converts carbon dioxide (CO2) into cyclic carbonates. This halogen-free, co-catalyst-free system offers high yields and recyclability for green chemistry applications.
Area of Science:
- Green chemistry and catalysis
- Materials science and nanotechnology
- Sustainable chemical synthesis
Background:
- Efficient conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable cyclic carbonates is a key goal in green chemistry.
- Developing heterogeneous catalysts that are active, recyclable, halogen-free, and co-catalyst-free remains a significant challenge.
- Existing catalytic systems often face limitations in stability, reusability, or environmental impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize a novel, robust heterogeneous catalyst for CO2 cycloaddition reactions.
- To investigate the catalytic performance, stability, and recyclability of the developed system.
- To explore the catalyst's ability to control product selectivity in challenging reactions.
Main Methods:
- A straightforward amidation strategy was used to anchor 6-mercaptonicotinic acid onto Rink Amide resin (RAR) via a glycine linker.
- An ionic liquid catalyst (RAR-G-S⁻·DBUH⁺) was formed by pairing the thiol group with 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU).
- Catalyst characterization involved elemental analysis, SEM, and EDX mapping; catalytic performance was assessed via CO2 cycloaddition with epoxides.
Main Results:
- The synthesized catalyst (RAR-G-S⁻·DBUH⁺) demonstrated high activity, achieving up to 99% yield in CO2 cycloaddition with terminal epoxides.
- The catalyst maintained excellent performance (over 93% yield) in gram-scale reactions and showed good recyclability.
- A unique selectivity control was observed for N-aryl-substituted epoxides, allowing tunable production of cyclic carbonates or oxazolidinones.
Conclusions:
- The developed resin-supported ionic liquid catalyst is an efficient, stable, and easily separable system for CO2 utilization.
- This catalytic system shows significant potential for industrial applications in green chemistry and sustainable synthesis.
- The ability to modulate product selectivity offers advanced control over chemical transformations.
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