Efficient and Simple Strategy to Obtain Ordered Mesoporous Carbons with Abundant Structural Base N Sites toward CO2 Selective Capture and Catalytic Conversion

To selectively capture and transform CO2 based on efficient nitrogen-doped carbon materials is important for the accomplishment of carbon neutrality in multiple fields. We develop here an advisable strategy to fast synthesize nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbons (N-OMCs) using phenolic resin and dicyandiamide precursors. The obtained N-OMCs exhibit a large BET surface area (483–661 m2/g) and ordered mesoporosity with abundant nitrogen sites and structural defects. As expected, the synthesized N-OMCs show impressive capacity for the capture of CO2 (up to 5.46 mmol/g at 0 °C and 1.0 bar) and display satisfactory CO2/N2 (0.15/0.85) selectivity (54.3–69.6 at 0 °C and 61.5–91.3 at 25 °C). More importantly, they are also much active in catalytic cycloaddition of CO2 to propylene oxide when functionalized with metal (Co or Zn) species. This work gives a new protocol to design N-OMCs through a fast and environmentally friendly route toward the capture and conversion of CO2, which contributes well to the development of sustainable chemistry and engineering.