Cascade Conversion of CO₂ to Ethylene Carbonate under Ambient Conditions

Ethylene carbonate (EC) is the simplest cyclic carbonate with great industrial significance, most importantly as the vital electrolyte component for lithium-ion batteries. Its conventional synthesis generally involves the use of toxic precursors and requires elevated temperatures and pressures. Herein, we propose a cascade catalytic route for converting CO₂ to EC under ambient conditions. Such a hybrid reaction scheme consists of the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to ethylene catalyzed by copper in a membrane electrode assembly reactor, the bromine-mediated conversion of ethylene to bromoethanol catalyzed by WO₃ nanoarrays grown on carbon cloth, and the reaction between bromoethanol and CO₂ to form EC. By separately optimizing individual catalytic steps and then integrating them together in series, we achieved the conversion of CO₂ to EC at a good yield under room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Our study also represents the first demonstration about the successful synthesis of organic carbonates from CO₂ as the exclusive carbon source.