Carbon dioxide is considered to be the most abundant greenhouse gas. The most common method to reduce atmospheric CO₂ is permanent underground disposal. A promising alternative to CO₂ storage is carbon fixation and recycling via catalytic chemical conversion of CO₂ into reusable materials.

Yanli Zhao, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and colleagues have developed a highly porous metal-organic framework (MOF) that exhibits high CO₂ adsorption. The MOF was synthesized by solvothermal reaction of Cu(II) ions and an acrylamine containing tetracarboxylate ligand. Here, both the unsaturated copper sites and amine rich ligand are CO₂-philic which increases the MOFs CO₂ affinity.

The researchers investigated the MOF’s ability to trap carbon via chemical CO₂ conversion. The MOF showed efficient and selective CO₂ catalytic cycloaddition with small epoxides, e.g., propylene oxide or butylene oxide, yielding cyclic carbonates valuable in pharmaceutical and electrochemical industries.

• Highly Effective Carbon Fixation via Catalytic Conversion of CO₂ by an Acylamide-Containing Metal-Organic Framework,
  Pei-Zhou Li, Xiao-Jun Wang, Jia Liu, Hui Shi Phang, Yongxin Li, Yanli Zhao,
  Chem. Mater. 2017.
  DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b03183