Dual‐Mesoporous ZSM‐5 Zeolite with Highly b‐Axis‐Oriented Large Mesopore Channels for the Production of Benzoin Ethyl Ether

Dual‐mesoporous ZSM‐5 zeolite with highly b axis oriented large mesopores was synthesized by using nonionic copolymer F127 and cationic surfactant CTAB as co‐templates. The product contains two types of mesopores—smaller wormlike ones of 3.3 nm in size and highly oriented larger ones of 30–50 nm in diameter along the b axis—and both of them interpenetrate throughout the zeolite crystals and interconnect with zeolite microporosity. The dual‐mesoporous zeolite exhibits excellent catalytic performance in the condensation of benzaldehyde with ethanol and greater than 99 % selectivity for benzoin ethyl ether at room temperature, which can be ascribed to the zeolite lattice structure offering catalytically active sites and the hierarchical and oriented mesoporous structure providing fast access of reactants to these sites in the catalytic reaction. The excellent recyclability and high catalytic stability of the catalyst suggest prospective applications of such unique mesoporous zeolites in the chemical industry.     

A Study on the Growth of Cr2O3 in Ordered Mesoporous Silica and Its Replication

A systematic study on the growth of Cr₂O₃ in three‐dimensional cubic ordered mesoporous silica (KIT‐6) and its replication through nanocasting is reported. By changing the loading time and amount of precursor, the size and shape of the obtained replica could be controlled to some extent. More interestingly, in contrast to previously published studies, when KIT‐6 with an aging temperature of 100 °C, which has a high degree of interconnectivity, was used as a hard template, a cubic ordered mesoporous Cr₂O₃ replica with an open uncoupled subframework structure and reduced symmetry was obtained. Formation of a replica with different symmetry and uncoupled subframework structure is not only related to the degree of interconnectivity of the parent, but also strongly depends on the type of metal oxide and its growth mechanism in the silica template. Nanocasting of Cr₂O₃ with a low loading results in a replica with monomodal pore size distribution that has same symmetry as the hard template, whereas increasing the loading amount alters the symmetry of the replica and yields a replica with bimodal distribution.     

Textural manipulation of mesoporous materials for hosting of metallic nanocatalysts

The preparation and stabilization of nanoparticles are becoming very crucial issues in the field of so-called "nanocatalysis". Recent developments in supramolecular self-assembled porous materials have opened a new way to get nanoparticles hosted in the channels of such materials. In this paper, a new approach towards monodisperse and thermally stable metal nanoparticles by confining them in ordered mesoporous materials is presented, and three aspects are illustrated. Firstly, the recent progress in the functional control of mesoporous materials will be briefly introduced, and the rational tuning of the textures, pore size, and pore length is demonstrated by controlling supramolecular self-assembly behavior. A novel synthesis of short-pore mesoporous materials is emphasized for their easy mass transfer in both biomolecule absorption and the facile assembly of metal nanocomposites within their pore channels. In the second part, the different routes for encapsulating monodisperse nanoparticles inside channels of porous materials are discussed, which mainly includes the ion-exchange/conventional incipient wetness impregnation, in situ encapsulation routes, organometallic methodologies, and surface functionalization schemes. A facile in situ autoreduction route is highlighted to get monodisperse metal nanoparticles with tunable sizes inside the channels of mesoporous silica. Finally, confinement of mesoporous materials is demonstrated to improve the thermal stability of monodisperse metal nanoparticles catalysts and a special emphasis will be focused on the stabilization of the metal nanoparticles with a low Tammann temperature. Several catalytic reactions concerning the catalysis of nanoparticles will be presented. These uniform nanochannels, which confine monodisperse and stable metal nanoparticles catalysts, are of great importance in the exploration of size-dependent catalytic chemistry and further understanding the nature of catalytic reactions.     

Ultralong Ternary PtRuTe Mesoporous Nanotubes Fabricated by Micelle Assembly with a Self-Sacrificial Template

High surface area and fast mass transport rate are important to enhance the activity and stability of catalysts. In this work, tellurium nanowires and F127 triblock copolymer are used as self-sacrificial and soft templates, respectively, to synthesize PtRuTe mesoporous nanotubes (MNTs). The designed PtRuTe MNTs show uniformly distributed mesopores and an internally hollow structure, which can effectively improve Pt utilization, the catalytic activity and durability, and CO tolerance for the methanol oxidation reaction. Very different from previous 1D metallic catalysts with solid interiors and smooth surfaces, PtRuTe MNTs are unique, with a mesoporous exterior and hollow interior. The facile route presented herein is very feasible for fabricating 1D mesoporous metallic catalysts.     

Highly Ordered Mesoporous Carbon as Catalyst for Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethylbenzene to Styrene

Highly active, selective, and stable : Highly ordered mesoporous carbon without deposition of metal particles catalyzes the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethyl benzene to styrene. A high activity and selectivity as well as long catalytic stability when compared with activated carbon, is observed from this catalyst.

     

A mesoporous Pt/TiO2 nanoarchitecture with catalytic and photocatalytic functions

A novel metal/semiconductor nanocomposite with catalytic and photocatalytic functions has been prepared. The new material consists of highly dispersed platinum (Pt) nanoparticles embedded in a cubic mesoporous nanocrystalline anatase (meso-nc-TiO2) thin film. The porous thin film possesses a narrow pore-size distribution and a large surface area. The diameter of the Pt cluster can be controlled to below 5 nm, and the high dispersion of these clusters gives rise to catalytic activity for the oxidation of carbon monoxide, an important reaction for automobile exhaust treatment. This novel ordered mesoporous Pt/TiO2 nanoarchitecture is also a promising photochemical material, as demonstrated by the photo-driven killing of Micrococcus lylae cells on the film.     

Hollow Mesoporous Carbon Spheres with Magnetic Cores and Their Performance as Separable Bilirubin Adsorbents

Hollow mesoporous carbon spheres with magnetic cores are directly replicated from hollow mesoporous aluminosilicate spheres with hematite cores by a simple incipient‐wetness impregnation technique. The amount of magnetic cores and the saturation magnetization value can be easily tuned by changing the concentration of iron nitrate solution used in the synthesis procedure. As‐prepared hollow mesoporous carbon spheres with magnetic cores are used as separable bilirubin adsorbents and show very good adsorptive properties. The characteristics of as‐prepared composites are examined by XRD, N₂ sorption, TEM, vibrating‐sample magnetometry, and UV/Vis spectroscopy.     

Preparation of Metal Ion-Planted Mesoporous Silica by Template Ion-Exchange Method and Its Catalytic Activity for Asymmetric Oxidation of Sulfide

For the preparation of metal ion-planted MCM-41 we have developed a template ion-exchange method, in which the template ions of as-synthesized MCM-41 are exchanged for the metal ions in aqueous media. The cations of Al, Ti, Cr, Mn, Zn, and Zr could be incorporated with high dispersion, while those of Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ga, Pd, and Pt formed small particles on the outside of the MCM-41 particles. Investigation on the time course of the template ion-exchange process suggested that the exchange proceeded first between the template ion and a proton and subsequently between the proton and a metal cation. Among the resulting metal ion-planted MCM-41s, Mn-MCM-41 showed excellent activity for the epoxidation of aromatic olefins. Trans-stilbene oxide was obtained in 93% yield from stilbene in MeCN–DMF solution at 328 K for 96 h. Ti-MCM-41 was the most suitable catalyst for the oxidation of sulfide with H₂O₂. It should be noted that the oxidation proceeded asymmetrically on Ti-MCM-41 in the presence of optically active tartaric acid in a CH₂Cl₂ solution. The chemical yield and optical yield of sulfoxide reached 54 and 30% ee, respectively.