Abstract
Current polymerization strategies for CO2 utilization are often constrained by harsh operating conditions, limited selectivity, and insufficient catalyst recyclability. A sustainable and cost-effective catalytic protocol is introduced for the synthesis of biopolymers and polymers from CO2 with oxetane, epoxide, or limonene epoxide under mild conditions. The catalytic system is based on dendritic fibrous nanosilica (DFNS) functionalized with ionic liquids (ILs) containing CO32⁻ anions and imidazolium cations. The resulting DFNS–IL hybrid nanostructures provide highly accessible active sites and act as stable, recyclable heterogeneous catalysts, achieving yields up to 98% with excellent selectivity. The catalysts can be readily recovered and reused over multiple cycles without significant loss of activity. Structural and spectroscopic analyses confirm the successful immobilization of ionic liquids on DFNS and their critical role in enhancing CO2-based polymerization. This approach demonstrates an environmentally benign and practical pathway for the valorization of CO2 into value-added polymeric materials.
Data availability
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.
Abbreviations
- DFNS:
-
Dendritic fibrous nanosilica
- IL:
-
Ionic liquid
- CO2 :
-
Carbon dioxide
- NPs:
-
Nanoparticles
- SEM:
-
Scanning electron microscope
- XRD :
-
X-ray diffraction
- FTIR:
-
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
- BET:
-
Brunauer–Emmett–Teller
- CPB:
-
Cetylpyridinium bromide
- AFM:
-
Atomic force microscopy
- TEM:
-
Transmission electron microscopy
- DBJH:
-
Average pore diameter
- VBJH:
-
Total pore volume
- nm:
-
Nanometers
- BJH:
-
Barrett–Joyner–Halenda
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Acknowledgements
This work was sponsored in part by MOE Industry-University Cooperation Joint Talent Cultivation Project (230805078245255), Quality Engineering Project of Huaibei Normal University (2022xxqhz005), The University Synergy Innovation Program of Anhui Province (GXXT-2023-028, GXXT-2022-086), Intelligent computing theory and application of excellent scientific research and innovation team of Anhui Province (2023AH010044), the Major projects of Education Department of Anhui Province (2022AH040068).
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Junqi He: project administration, investigation, formal analysis; Chao Gao: conceptualization, methodology; Dulong Feng: investigation, resources, data curation; Xiaohui Song: methodology; Shulong Liu: writing—original Draft; Seyed Mohsen Sadeghzadeh: investigation, resources, data curation.
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He, J., Gao, C., Feng, D. et al. Production of biopolymer and polymer from carbon dioxide employing ionic liquid supported on dendritic fibrous nanosilica. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35620-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35620-4
