In Situ Formation of Frustrated Lewis Pairs in a Zirconium Metal-Organic Cage for Sustainable CO2 Chemical Fixation

Sustainable CO2 fixation represents a facile and promising approach to constructing various valueadded chemicals. Herein, we contribute a robust metal-organic cage (MOC), denoted as TCPB-1, comprising a bulky Lewis acid functionalized linker, which can in situ form frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) upon the addition of Lewis basic substrates to efficiently drive CO2 transformation. Significantly, the incorporation of Lewis acidic boron sites within TCPB-1 promedicinal benzimidazole derivatives via an FLPmediated pathway, and boosts the stability/durability of the FLP catalyst. In addition, the underlying bined experimental and molecular simulation studcule activation and beyond.

Automated summary

We have developed a new metal-organic cage called TCPB-1, which can efficiently drive CO2 transformation by incorporating a Lewis acid functionalized linker. The addition of Lewis acidic boron sites enhances the stability and durability of the catalyst.