Integrated CO<sub>2</sub> capture-fixation chemistry via interfacial ionic liquid catalyst in laminar gas/liquid flow.

Vishwakarma, Niraj K; Singh, Ajay K; Hwang, Yoon-Ho; Ko, Dong-Hyeon; Kim, Jin-Oh; Babu, A Giridhar; Kim, Dong-Pyo · Nat Commun · 2017

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Simultaneous capture of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) and its utilization with subsequent work-up would significantly enhance the competitiveness of CO<sub>2</sub>-based sustainable chemistry over petroleum-based chemistry. Here we report an interfacial catalytic reaction platform for an integrated autonomous process of simultaneously capturing/fixing CO<sub>2</sub> in gas-liquid laminar flow with subsequently providing a work-up step. The continuous-flow microreactor has built-in silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with immobilized ionic liquid catalysts on tips of cone-shaped nanowire bundles. Because of the superamphiphobic SiNWs, a stable gas-liquid interface maintains between liquid flow of organoamines in upper part and gas flow of CO<sub>2</sub> in bottom part of channel. The intimate and direct contact of the binary reagents leads to enhanced mass transfer and facilitating reactions. The autonomous integrated platform produces and isolates 2-oxazolidinones and quinazolines-2,4(1H,3H)-diones with 81-97% yields under mild conditions. The platform would enable direct CO<sub>2</sub> utilization to produce high-valued specialty chemicals from flue gases without pre-separation and work-up steps.