Stable hierarchical ionic liquid nanochannels for highly efficient CO2 adsorption, separation and conversion

Constructing stable nanochannels and nanoconfined environments for ionic liquids holds significant application value in gas separation, ion channels, and related fields. The functional polyionic liquid synthesized in this study exhibits a controllable assembly structure and demonstrates liquid crystal properties. Through heating and water treatment, the polyionic liquids crosslink to form multi-hierarchical nanopores, including sub-nanochannels with pore sizes similar to CO 2 , without the need for a catalyst. The specific surface area and pore size of the polyionic liquid network (PILC) were adjusted by regulating the self-assembly of polyionic liquids in water. The unique PILC, combining ionic liquid nanopores and liquid crystal structure properties, shows high CO 2 adsorption performance and excellent CO 2 /N 2 selectivities, surpassing commonly reported ionic liquid porous materials. Furthermore, PILC-2 exhibits good catalytic performance for CO 2 cycloaddition, and its catalytic activity and selectivity did not significantly decrease after five cycles. This study successfully introduces hierarchical ionic liquid nanochannels into porous networks without involving any inorganic ordered nanomaterials. This provides a simple and effective approach for the highly selective adsorption and separation of CO 2 , as well as for the preparation of catalytic materials. • Poly(ionic liquid) porous materials (PILCs) were obtained by a simple way . • A stable cross-linked network with hierarchical nanochannels were effectively formed. • The special PILC has high CO 2 adsorption performance and excellent CO 2 /N 2 selectivities. • PILC exhibits good catalytic performance for CO 2 cycloaddition.