Amide-functionalized heterometallic helicate cages as highly efficient catalysts for CO2 conversion under mild conditions†
Abstract
Mimicking nature seems to be one of the smartest strategies to design novel catalysts for CO2 conversion under mild conditions. Herein, we report a facile and efficient method to construct two amide-functionalized heterometallic helicate cages as “enzyme mimic” catalysts for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates. These helicate cages show high thermal stability and exceptionally high catalytic activity and size-dependent selectivity toward small epoxides in catalytic CO2 cycloaddition to obtain cyclic carbonates even under ambient conditions. The construction of this novel functionalized cage provides an efficient approach for realizing CO2 conversion under mild conditions.