Incorporation of Imidazolium-Based Poly(ionic liquid)s into a Metal–Organic Framework for CO 2 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 CO 2 capture capability that is beneficial for the catalysis of the cycloaddition of CO 2 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 CO 2 enrichment capacity, the Lewis acid sites in the MOF, as well as the Lewis base sites in the polyILs.