Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica with a Basic Urea-Derived Framework for Enhanced Carbon Dioxide Capture and Conversion Under Mild Conditions.

A periodic mesoporous organosilica with a basic urea-derived framework (PMO-UDF) was prepared and characterized thoroughly. The PMO-UDF showed an enhanced CO2 capture capacity at low pressure (≤1 atm) and an exceptional catalytic activity in CO2 coupling reactions with various epoxides to yield the corresponding cyclic carbonates under mild conditions because of the presence of a high surface area, basic pyridine units, and multiple hydrogen-bond donors. The highly stable catalyst could be reused at least six successive times without a significant decrease of the catalytic efficiency or structural deterioration, thus the PMO-UDF composite is considered as a promising material for CO2 capture and conversion.