CO2 fixation at atmospheric pressure: porous ZnSnO3 nanocrystals as a highly efficient catalyst for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates

Abstract

An efficient methodology for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO₂ has been developed using self-assembled, ultra small, porous zinc stannate nanocrystals as a catalyst under atmospheric pressure. The catalyst is synthesized by using sodium salicylate as a soft template and the material is thoroughly characterized by powder XRD, HR TEM, N₂-sorption and UV-visible spectroscopic tools. Moreover, the catalyst smoothly catalyzes a wide range of reactants to produce a series of cyclic carbonates in excellent yields, under atmospheric pressure of CO₂ and in the presence of PEG-600 as a green solvent. The catalyst can be easily recovered from the reaction medium and be reused without significant loss in its catalytic activity and selectivity, suggesting the future potential of this nanocatalyst in the clean-up of the environment.