Cobalt-based ionic liquid grafted on graphene as a heterogeneous catalyst for poly (ethylene terephthalate) glycolysis

Cobalt-based ionic liquid grafted on graphene surface (rGO\[TESPMI]2CoCl4) was synthesized as a catalyst for glycolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and characterized by FTIR, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, TGA, FESEM, and EDS. This results disclosed that the chemical grafting was successfully performed. The high activity in mild condition and the simple recoverable from the reaction are the suitable characteristics of this catalyst. These aforementioned properties can be figured out with the PET conversion (100%) and yield (95.22%) of bis (hydroxyethyl terephthalate) (BHET) under optimal conditions. These results are owed to the synergistic effect between graphene and ionic liquid. Finally, the catalyst sustained activity for five cycles of reaction. To the best of our knowledge, prior to this research, ionic liquid grafted on a graphene surface had never been reported for the glycolysis reaction of PET. The green approach in this article, we proposed a recoverable and effective catalyst, which can be replaced with traditional catalysts that leave contaminants in the product. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A cobalt-based ionic liquid grafted on graphene surface was synthesized as a catalyst for glycolysis of PET, showing high activity and easy recoverability. The catalyst exhibited synergistic effects between graphene and ionic liquid, achieving high conversion and yield under optimal conditions. This green approach offers a recoverable and effective alternative to traditional catalysts.