Zeolitic imidazolate framework-68 as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for chemical fixation of carbon dioxide

•ZIF-68 with exceptional stability was firstly synthesized by hydrothermal method.•ZIF-68 was firstly used to catalyze the cyclic addition reaction of CO2.•High yield of cyclic carbonate was obtained under mild conditions.•The presence of acid–base site in ZIF-68 plays a critical role in the reaction.

An efficient heterogeneous catalyst, namely, zeolitic imidazolate framework-68 (ZIF-68), was developed for the synthesis of cyclic carbonate from CO2 and styrene oxide in the absence of any solvents or co-catalysts under mild reaction conditions (120 °C and 1.00 MPa). The textural properties of the ZIF-68 catalyst were determined by the powder X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption–desorption and thermal analysis. The acid–base property of ZIF-68 catalyst was investigated by NH3 and CO2 temperature-programmed desorption methods. The results indicate that the yield of cyclic carbonate reached up to 93.3% after 12 h in the mild reaction conditions. Moreover, the ZIF-68 catalyst could be successfully reused for three times without any significant loss in catalytic activity.

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