An Aluminum Metal–Organic Framework and Its Cu(II) Anchored Composite for Efficiently Catalyzing Two Sustainable CO 2 Chemical Fixation Reactions under Atmospheric Conditions

Carbon dioxide (CO2), formerly recognized only for its harmful impact on the environment, is now being re-examined as an abundant, economical, and renewable C1 resource for sustainable chemical synthesis. Through catalytic CO2 fixation, this abundant greenhouse gas can be efficiently transformed into a range of high-value products, including cyclic carbonates, carbamates, and other heterocycles. In this endeavor, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as an effective heterogeneous catalyst due to their robust and tunable porosity architectures. However, due to cost-effectiveness, there is a limit to their use in this direction. To address this, we herein designed and synthesized a cost-effective aluminum (Al)-based MOF using water as a green solvent. This synthesized Al(III)-MOF (1′) demonstrated excellent catalytic performance in the cycloaddition of CO2 with styrene oxide, yielding cyclic carbonates. To further enhance catalytic activity and broaden the substrate scope, copper(II), another cost-effective and non-noble metal ion, was grafted onto the Al(III)-MOF. This newly developed Cu(II)-embedded Al(III)-MOF [Cu(II)@1′] exhibited excellent CO2 fixation activity toward propargylic amines, forming the pharmacologically important moieties namely, 2-oxazolidinones, under ambient conditions. Thus, this work highlights the potential of the Al(III)-MOF and its Cu(II)-embedded composite as a green and sustainable approach for converting CO2 into a pharmacologically important moiety under mild conditions, with excellent recyclability and broad substrate compatibility.