Main-chain poly(ionic liquid)-derived nitrogen-doped micro/mesoporous carbons for CO2 capture and selective aerobic oxidation of alcohols.

Sustainable development and the recent fast growing global demands for energy and functional chemicals urgently call for effective methods for CO2 remediation and efficient metal-free catalysts for selective oxidation of aromatic alcohol. Herein, a unique main-chain poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) is employed as the precursor to prepare nitrogen doped micro and mesoporous carbons via simultaneous carbonization and activation, which bear high yield, large specific surface area above 1700 m2 per g and rich nitrogen dopant. The porous carbon products deliver a high CO2 adsorption capacity up to 6.2 mmol per g at 273 K and 1 bar with outstanding reversibility and satisfactory selectivity. Besides, they work excellently as metal free carbocatalysts for the selective aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde with high selectivity. It is believed that this work not only provides a facile approach to prepare nitrogen-doped porous carbon, but also advances the related research in the fields of environment and catalysis.