Issue 3, 2015

Design of organosulfonic acid functionalized organosilica hollow nanospheres for efficient conversion of furfural alcohol to ethyl levulinate

Abstract

A series of propylsulfonic or arenesulfonic acid functionalized ethane- or benzene-bridged organosilica hollow nanospheres (Pr/ArSO3H-Et/Ph-HNS) were demonstrated by a one-step condensation method combined with in situ H2O2 oxidation. The key preparation route included using nonionic surfactant F127 as the soft template, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene as the micelle expanding agent and adjusting suitable molar ratios of total Si to F127 in the initial gel mixture. The inner diameter of the Pr/ArSO3H-Et/Ph-HNS materials was ca. 10 nm, and their shell thickness was ca. 3–5 nm. As the novel organic–inorganic hybrid solid acid catalysts, the catalytic activity of the Pr/ArSO3H-Et/Ph-HNS was evaluated by ethanolysis of biomass-derived furfural alcohol to ethyl levulinate. The obtained acid catalytic activity that was superior to that of their bulk mesoporous counterparts was explained in terms of their strong Brønsted acidity and unique hollow nanospherical morphology. Finally, the recyclability of the hybrid catalysts was studied through four consecutive catalytic runs.

Graphical abstract: Design of organosulfonic acid functionalized organosilica hollow nanospheres for efficient conversion of furfural alcohol to ethyl levulinate

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
06 Nov 2014
Accepted
09 Jan 2015
First published
09 Jan 2015

Green Chem., 2015,17, 1767-1778

Design of organosulfonic acid functionalized organosilica hollow nanospheres for efficient conversion of furfural alcohol to ethyl levulinate

B. Lu, S. An, D. Song, F. Su, X. Yang and Y. Guo, Green Chem., 2015, 17, 1767 DOI: 10.1039/C4GC02161D

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