Green approaches via nanocatalysis with nanoporous materials: Functionalization of mesoporous materials for single site catalysis

Among the various green keys, catalysis, especially using heterogeneous catalysts, has been powerfully applied to achieve greener chemical processes. Here are presented nanoporous materials which have mesoporosity with the functional groups on the inner pore walls. The materials were synthesized via a rather greener process, such as microwave synthesis, and over these nanocatalysts some of the green chemical reactions were carried out with high activities and selectivities. Cobalt species has been successfully functionalized and stabilized as a Co(III) complex onto SBA-15 support and proven to be an active catalyst in alkylaromatic oxidation with molecular oxygen, styrene epoxidation with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP), and allylic oxidation of cycloolefins with H₂O₂. Short-channeled amino-functionalized SBA-15 catalyst with hexagonal plate morphology was synthesized directly by using microwave synthesis from the co-condensation of aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) and sodium metasilicate under a strong acidic condition. The catalyst showed high catalytic activity in liquid-phase Knoevenagel condensation reactions, due to easy diffusion and mass transfer of substrates into the short mesopore channel. The HO₃S–SBA-15 was prepared by grafting of mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane onto the calcined mesoporous silica surface and subsequently oxidized with H₂O₂. The resulting catalyst was applied as a Bronsted solid-acid catalyst for the esterification of oleic acid with methanol.     

Amino-functionalized SBA-15 type mesoporous silica having nanostructured hexagonal platelet morphology

Amino-functionalized SBA-15 type mesoporous silicas having unique hexagonal platelet morphologies with short channels (100-300 nm) running parallel to the thickness of the nanostructured hexagonal platelet type morphologies have been directly synthesized by co-condensation of aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and sodium metasilicate as a silica source in the presence of Pluronic P123 triblock copolymer as a structure directing agent.     

Styrene epoxidation over a SBA-15-supported Mn(III) Schiff-base complex

2,4-Di-tert-butyl-6-((E)-(propylimino)methyl)phenol as a Schiff-base ligand was immobilized onto an amino-functionalized SBA-15 through the reaction between di-tert-butyl-salicylaldahyde and the tethered amino group. The Mn(III) metal complex of the immobilized Schiff-base ligand was proven to be an active catalyst for the epoxidation of styrene withtert-butyl hydroperoxide as a terminal oxidant. The catalysts behaved as an oxidation catalyst in the epoxidation and could be used many times without structural degradation, leaching of active manganese species and significant activity loss. It has been concluded that the reversible redox cycles of the metal center play a key role during the epoxidation reaction, as well as in the reusability of the catalysts.