Three-dimensional ordered mesoporous carbon nitride with large mesopores: Synthesis and application towards base catalysis

•Mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride was prepared using FDU-12 as a template.•CN-FDU-12 has a large pore size of 7.5 nm with ordered mesostructures.•CN-FDU-12 demonstrated superior catalytic activity to CN-SBA-15 and CN-MCF.

Mesoporous g-CN material has been prepared by using FDU-12 as a template, and carbon tetrachloride and ethylenediamine as precursors via a nanocasting method. Small angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy confirm that the synthesized CN-FDU-12 possesses well-ordered mesostructures and faithfully replicates the face-centered cubic symmetry of FDU-12. The surface area and pore volume acquired in CN-FDU-12 are 702 m2 g−1 and 1.4 cm3 g−1, respectively, along with large pore size of 7.5 nm. Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectra reveal that the motifs of CN-FDU-12 are pyridine rings interconnected by tertiary N atoms. As a heterogeneous base catalyst, CN-FDU-12 demonstrates high and steady activity in the transesterification of ethylacetoacetate with a series of alcohols. Moreover, the catalytic activity achieved over CN-FDU-12 is superior to those obtained over other mesoporous g-CN materials templated by SBA-15 and MCF. The excellent performance is attributed to the high percentage of tertiary N species in CN-FDU-12. Accordingly, a possible reaction mechanism for the transesterification of β-keto esters has been proposed.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide