Hierarchical porous polyimide nanocomposite membrane for flow-through CO2 cycloaddition at mild conditions

Abstract Synthesis of cyclic carbonates via cycloaddition of CO2 to epoxides is an important strategy for CO2 valorization. However, efficient and easy-to-handle catalytic system for this type of reaction at mild conditions is still rare. In this work, we present a polyimide-based catalytic membrane with hierarchical pore structure for flow through synthesis of cyclic carbonates at mild conditions. The membrane was fabricated by incorporating a porous and metallized poly-melamine-formaldehyde (Zn@PMF) into phase inversed polyimide (PI) matrix. Upon in-situ crosslinking with tris(2-aminoethyl)amine, the solvent-resistant PI membrane can not only facilitate the CO2 adsorption and immobilize the catalysts, but also promote mixing by flow-through operations. As a result, the nanocomposite membrane exhibited an excellent catalytic performance with a maximum TOF value of 3362 h−1 at ambient conditions. This catalytic activity is not only higher than the Zn@PMF particle but also is the highest among reported catalysts under the similar reaction conditions. Its high catalytic performance was also confirmed in CO2 cycloaddition in a synthetic flue gas stream.