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/mesoporous carbons via simultaneous carbonization and activation, which bear high yield, large specific surface area above 1700 m² g⁻¹ and rich nitrogen dopant. The porous carbon products deliver a high CO₂ adsorption capacity up to 6.2 mmol g⁻¹ 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.