Microporous organic nanoparticles bearing tri-Zn macrocycles: heterogeneous catalysts for the conversion of biomass-derived furan esters to polymer platforms

Biomass conversion to polymer platforms is presently a crucial issue that requires efficient catalysts. This work suggests a microporous organic polymer (MOP)-based multimetallic heterogeneous Lewis acid catalyst for the synthesis of biomass-derived polymer platforms. MOP nanoparticles bearing tri-Zn macrocycles (MOPN-TZnM) were prepared by the Sonogashira-Hagihara coupling of a predesigned building block bearing tri-Zn macrocyclic moieties with tetra(4-ethynylphenyl)methane. The MOPN-TZnM showed excellent catalytic performance in the transesterification of biomass-derived dimethyl furan-2,5-dicarboxylate with diols to furan-based diols that can be utilized as polymer platforms of polyurethanes. A MOP-based tri-Zn heterogeneous catalyst was developed, displaying excellent performance in the transesterification of a biomass-derived furan ester with diols to furan diols.