A [(M 2 ) 6 L 8 ] metal-organic polyhedron with high CO 2 uptake and efficient chemical conversion of CO 2 under ambient conditions.

A new metal-organic polyhedron with a high surface area of 407 m 2 g -1 , possessing high CO 2 uptake, is reported, which is synthesized using 4-connected Cu 2 (CO 2 ) 4 paddle-wheel moieties and 3-connected semi-rigid tripodal carboxylates. This material possesses a high density of Cu(II) Lewis acidic sites and demonstrates excellent performance as a heterogeneous catalyst for the chemical fixation of CO 2 into cyclic carbonates under ambient conditions.