Mg/Al-Codoped Porous Carbons with a Bifunctional Performance for an Enhanced Carbonate Synthesis

The synthesis of carbonates by using nontoxic feedstocks and ecofriendly heterogeneous catalysts has received great attention but remains a significant challenge. Herein, a series of Mg/Al-codoped porous carbons (MgAl@CM) were developed and applied for transesterification to synthesize methyl phenyl carbonate (MPC). The results showed that MgAl@CM possessed abundant mesopores, large amounts of N/O-containing groups, and dispersed Mg/Al species. And 1Mg5Al@CM-700 exhibited the highest catalytic activity with a diphenyl carbonate conversion of 80.2% and MPC selectivity of 99.6% due to its unique structure and acidic–basic properties, indicating a highly efficient acid–base synergistic catalysis process. Moreover, the catalyst presented good stability and reusability for six recycles without a substantial activity loss. The mechanism based on the synergistic catalysis was investigated. This work provides a novel perspective for the design of heteroatom-doped carbon catalysts to accomplish an efficient MPC synthesis.