Copper supported on phenanthroline-functionalized porous polymer as an active catalyst for the oxidative carbonylation of methanol

Porous organic polymer has recently attracted tremendous interest because of its potential to combine the best features of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. In this study, copper supported on phenanthroline-functionalized porous polymer (Cu@PCP-Phen) was prepared by a co-polymerization method and used as a heterogeneous catalyst for dimethyl carbonate synthesis via the oxidative carbonylation of methanol. The catalyst was characterized by N-2 adsorption, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, C-13 solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which suggested that it possessed a big surface area, hierarchical porous structure, and strong electron-donating effect toward copper species. The Cu@PCP-Phen catalyst showed high catalytic activity, which was significantly higher than those achieved with Cu-based catalysts under similar reaction conditions. In addition, the catalyst can be easily separated and reused at least six times with only a slight decrease in activity. The salient features of this protocol are the simplicity in handling of the catalyst, high catalytic activity, excellent selectivity, low copper leaching, and good catalyst recyclability.