Incorporation of Imidazolium-Based Poly(ionic liquid)s into a Metal–Organic Framework for CO2 Capture and Conversion

The rational integration of multiple functional components into a composite material could result in enhanced activity tailored for specific applications. Herein, imidazolium-based poly(ionic liquid)s (denoted as polyILs) have been confined into the metal–organic framework (MOF) material MIL-101 via in situ polymerization of encapsulated monomers. The resultant composite polyILs@MIL-101 exhibits good CO2 capture capability that is beneficial for the catalysis of the cycloaddition of CO2 with epoxides to form cyclic carbonates at subatmospheric pressure in the absence of any cocatalyst. The significantly enhanced activity of polyILs@MIL-101, compared to either MIL-101 or polyILs, is attributed to the synergistic effect among the good CO2 enrichment capacity, the Lewis acid sites in the MOF, as well as the Lewis base sites in the polyILs.