An efficient Ag/MIL-100(Fe) catalyst for photothermal conversion of CO2 at ambient temperature

The conversion of CO2 under mild condition is of great importance because these reactions involving CO2 can not only produce value-added chemicals from abundant and inexpensive CO2 feedstock but also close the carbon cycle. However, the chemical inertness of CO2 requires the development of high-performance catalysts. Herein, Ag nanoparticles/MIL-100(Fe) composites were synthesized by simple impregnation-reduction method and employed as catalysts for the photothermal carboxylation of terminal alkynes with CO2. MIL-100(Fe) could stabilize Ag nanoparticles and prevent them from aggregation during catalytic process. Taking the advantages of photothermal effects and catalytic activities of both Ag nanoparticles and MIL-100(Fe), various aromatic alkynes could be converted to corresponding carboxylic acid products (86%-92% yields) with 1 atm CO2 at room temperature under visible light irradiation when using Ag nanoparticles/MIL-100(Fe) as photothermal catalysts. The catalysts also showed good recyclability with almost no loss of catalytic activity for three consecutive runs. More importantly, the catalytic performance of Ag nanoparticles/MIL-100(Fe) under visible light irradiation at room temperature was comparable to that upon heating, showing that the light source could replace conventional heating method to drive the reaction. This work provided a promising strategy of utilizing solar energy for achieving efficient CO2 conversion to value-added chemicals under mild condition. (C) 2021 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Utilizing Ag nanoparticles/MIL-100(Fe) as photothermal catalysts can efficiently convert aromatic alkynes to carboxylic acid products under visible light irradiation at room temperature. The catalysts demonstrate good recyclability and comparable catalytic performance under visible light irradiation to that upon heating. This work presents a promising strategy for efficient CO2 conversion to value-added chemicals using solar energy under mild conditions.