Efficient and Simple Strategy to Obtain Ordered Mesoporous Carbons with Abundant Structural Base N Sites toward CO<sub>2</sub> Selective Capture and Catalytic Conversion
Jianjun Chen, Qin Wu, Jinxing Mi, Chi Fan, Zhen Wang, Xiaoping Chen, Guimin Wang, Zhoulan Huang, Junhua Li
Abstract
To selectively capture and transform CO2 based on efficient nitrogen-doped carbon materials is important for the accomplishment of carbon neutrality in multiple fields. We develop here an advisable strategy to fast synthesize nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbons (N-OMCs) using phenolic resin and dicyandiamide precursors. The obtained N-OMCs exhibit a large BET surface area (483–661 m2/g) and ordered mesoporosity with abundant nitrogen sites and structural defects. As expected, the synthesized N-OMCs show impressive capacity for the capture of CO2 (up to 5.46 mmol/g at 0 °C and 1.0 bar) and display satisfactory CO2/N2 (0.15/0.85) selectivity (54.3–69.6 at 0 °C and 61.5–91.3 at 25 °C). More importantly, they are also much active in catalytic cycloaddition of CO2 to propylene oxide when functionalized with metal (Co or Zn) species. This work gives a new protocol to design N-OMCs through a fast and environmentally friendly route toward the capture and conversion of CO2, which contributes well to the development of sustainable chemistry and engineering.