A heteropolyacid-based ionic liquid immobilized onto fibrous nano-silica as an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of cyclic carbonate from carbon dioxide and epoxides

Abstract

In this study, a fibrous nano-silica supported heteropolyacid-based ionic liquid (KCC-1/IL/HPW), which features easy accessibility of active sites and high catalytic activity, was synthesized by a simple, cost-effective procedure. The KCC-1/IL/HPW nanocatalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity in the synthesis of cyclic carbonate from carbon dioxide and epoxides under mild conditions. The KCC-1/IL/HPW catalyst was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A high catalytic activity and ease of recovery from the reaction mixture by using filtration and several reuses without any significant loss in performance are additional eco-friendly attributes of this catalytic system.