Cycloaddition of carbon dioxide with propylene oxide using zeolitic imidazolate framework ZIF-23 as a catalyst

Zeolitic imidazolate framework ZIF-23 was prepared and used as catalyst for the solventless synthesis of cyclic carbonate from CO2 and propylene oxide with or without TBAB co-catalyst. ZIF-23 catalysts were prepared by a solvothermal or microwave method and they were characterized by various physicochemical techniques such as XRD, FT-IR, BET, TGA, and FE-SEM. The effects of reaction parameters such as temperature, reaction time, CO2 pressure, and co-catalyst on the reactivity of catalyst were investigated. ZIF-23 was recyclable up to four times without any considerable loss of its initial activity. Reaction mechanism containing the role of ZIF-23 with TBAB co-catalyst was also proposed.