A novel 3-fold interpenetrated dia metal-organic framework as a heterogeneous catalyst for CO2 cycloaddition

A novel 3D Zn(II)-based metal-organic framework [Zn(bbi)(tdc)]n·5nH2O (JLNU-99, JLNU = Jilin Normal University) has been synthesized by the reaction of flexible 1,4-bis(imidazolyl)butane (bbi) and rigid 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid (H2tdc). The structure was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD) and characterized by elemental analysis, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. JLNU-99 exhibits a rare 3-fold interpenetrated framework with a 66-dia topology. The thermal behavior, photoluminescent property and catalytic performance were investigated in detail. Strikingly, JLNU-99 features efficient heterogeneous catalytic performance toward the cycloaddition reactions of CO2 with epoxides.