All-in-one carbon dots-based catalyst for converting CO2 to cyclic carbonates

Converting CO2 with various epoxides to cyclic carbonates is extremely important. However, most of catalysts for such conversion either require complicated fabrication or are obtained from unsustainable sources. Motivated by this problem, we prepare biomass-based all-in-one carbon dots as nano-organocatalysts for firstly converting CO2 to cyclic carbonates. In this work, carbon dots (CD@KI) with high catalytic performance and good recy-clability are prepared from sodium phytate (SP), polyethylenimine (PEI) and KI using one-pot hydrothermal treatment featuring cheap precursors and simple operation. Assisted by highly catalytic activity of CD@KI, up to 99.5% yield is achieved for converting CO2 and various epoxides to cyclic carbonates under mild conditions (solvent-free and 1 atm of CO2). Moreover, the conversion yield is maintained for reactions up to 10 g in scale. Significantly, by taking advantage of the inherent luminescence of CD@KI, the as-formed cyclic carbonates catalysed by CD@KI can be directly converted to afterglow polymer composites.

Automated summary

Converting CO2 with various epoxides to cyclic carbonates is important, but catalysts for this conversion often require complicated fabrication or unsustainable sources. To address this issue, biomass-based all-in-one carbon dots as nano-organocatalysts were prepared, achieving high catalytic performance and recyclability. The carbon dots successfully converted CO2 and various epoxides to cyclic carbonates with a yield of up to 99.5%, under mild conditions. Furthermore, the inherent luminescence of the carbon dots allowed for the direct conversion of the formed cyclic carbonates to afterglow polymer composites.