Acid-mediated surface etching of a nano-sized metal-organic framework for improved reactivity in the fixation of CO2 into polymers

Abstract

Engineering the surface of Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) will afford to advantageously improve their performances in catalysis. A particular example of industrially applied MOF-based catalysis is the zinc glutarate (ZnGA) catalyzed copolymerization of CO2 with an epoxide. Herein, we demonstrate how the modification of the surface of ZnGA aids to enhance its productivity in fixing CO2 into poly(alkylene carbonates), and deliver an industrially viable procedure to prepare a nanosized, surface-etched ZnGA by systematically controlling the reaction conditions and by using a mild-HCl solution. This surface modified-ZnGA exhibits ∼83% increased productivity than the standard-ZnGA and thus could be readily applicable in industries.