Crosslinked Resin‐Supported Bifunctional Organocatalyst for Conversion of CO2 into Cyclic Carbonates

The development of solvent‐free, metal‐free, recyclable organic catalysts is required for the current chemical fixation of carbon dioxide converted into cyclic carbonates. With the goal of reducing the cost, time, and energy consumption for the coupling reaction of CO2 and epoxides, a series of highly active heterogeneous catalysts, based on a thiourea and quaternary ammonium salt system, are synthesized by using a thiol‐ene click reaction under ultraviolet light. Benefitting from synergistic interactions of the electrophilic center (thiourea) and the nucleophilic site (ammonium bromide), the catalysts exhibit excellent catalytic selectivity (99 %) for the cycloaddition of carbon dioxide with a diverse range of epoxides under mild conditions (1.2 MPa, 100 °C). Moreover, the catalyst can be easily recycled by facile filtration and reused for 5 times without noticeable loss of activity and selectivity. This work provides a potential heterogeneous catalyst for the conversion of carbon dioxide into high value‐added chemicals with the combined advantages of low cost, easy recovery, and satisfactory catalytic properties. Resins to be cheerful: A series of heterogeneous bifunctional catalysts, based on a thiourea and quaternary ammonium salt system, is prepared by using a convenient and low‐cost method involving a thiol‐ene click reaction under ultraviolet light. Owing to synergistic interactions of the electrophilic center and the nucleophilic site, the catalysts exhibit excellent selectivity for the cycloaddition of carbon dioxide with a diverse range of epoxides under mild conditions.