Metal-organic-framework-derived boron and nitrogen dual-doped hollow mesoporous carbons for photothermally catalytic CO2 conversion

The facile fabrication of hollow materials with rich defects is highly desired for photothermal conversion of CO2. Herein, we successfully prepared Zn, B, and N co-doped hollow mesoporous carbon (BHNC) by directly pyrolyzing phenylboronic acid/melamine/ZIF-8. The hollow porous structure of the resulting BHNC material can not only achieve high photothermal conversion efficiency but also effectively promote substrate mass transfer. Moreover, the introduction of B extends the light absorption scope of the material, offers active sites for chemical adsorption and further activation of CO2, significantly promoting the cycloaddition reaction. Benefiting from their high specific surface area, hollow mesoporous nanoarchitecture and rich defects, the optimized BHNC can be employed as a high-efficiency catalyst for the CO2 cycloaddition reaction under light irradiation and ambient conditions, affording 3 times higher yield of 4-(chloromethyl)-1,3-dioxolan-2-one (97 %) than that of ZIF-8-800. This study provides a new strategy for the design of efficient catalysts for CO2 conversion under mild conditions.