Dexuan Xiang

Hydroxyl-assisted ionic bifunctional hyper-crosslinked polymer catalyzes CO ₂ cycloaddition to cyclic carbonates with high yield and recyclability under mild conditions.

The utilization of CO ₂ as a sustainable feedstock for synthesizing high‐value cyclic carbonates via cycloaddition with epoxides is a promising route for carbon resource utilization. However, challenges remain in developing efficient and eco‐friendly catalysts under mild conditions. Herein, we report a novel heterogeneous catalyst (HCPs‐La) fabricated by immobilizing LaCl ₃ in lignin‐based hypercrosslinked polymers (HCPs), which were prepared by FeCl ₃ ‐catalyzed Friedel–Crafts alkylation reaction. Characterization (FT‐IR, N ₂ sorption, XRD, TGA, XPS, SEM, TEM, etc.) confirmed the amorphous porous structure, uniform elemental distribution, and thermal stability of HCPs‐La. The hierarchical porous structure of HCPs‐La, enriched with hydrogen bond donors (–OH, –COOH) and Lewis acid sites (La ³⁺ ), synergistically enhanced CO ₂ activation and epoxide ring‐opening. Under mild conditions (80°C, 1‐MPa CO ₂ , 20 h), HCPs‐La(1) achieved a remarkable yield of 99% for cyclic carbonate. The catalyst exhibited broad substrate adaptability, maintaining high efficiency for diverse epoxides, and demonstrated exceptional recyclability over six cycles without significant activity loss. This work pioneers a lignin‐driven catalytic paradigm, where renewable biomass waste is transformed into a high‐performance catalyst for CO ₂ ‐to‐carbonate valorization, aligning with circular economy principles.

Palladium coordinated with N-heterocyclic carbene-functionalized porous organic polymers (Pd@POPs) was successfully prepared via Scholl coupling reaction and a successive immobilization method. The protocol features simple reaction conditions, easy separation, high yield and low cost. The structure and composition of Pd@POPs were characterized by N₂ sorption, TGA, FT-IR, SEM, EDX, TEM, XPS and ICP. Then the obtained heterogeneous catalysts were applied in Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction to evaluate their catalytic performance. The Pd@POPs displayed high catalytic activity for the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction in an EtOH/H₂O solvent. A 0.03 mol% Pd loading was sufficient for the reaction with a high turnover number (TON) of 3220. Moreover, the catalyst was easily recovered and reused for at least six consecutive cycles without obvious loss of its initial activity.