EFFICIENT AND SELECTIVE NANOPOROUS CATALYSTS BYPLACING MULTIPLE SITE-ISOLATED FUNCTIONALGROUPS ON MESOPOROUS MATERIALS

摘要

The design, synthesis and self-assembly of inorganic, organic and organometallicmolecules into solid-state nanoscale structures is important for the development ofnanostructured and mesostructured materials for various electronics, catalytic, sensing,separation, biological and medical applications. We describe a synthetic strategyinvolving self-assembly of mesoporous materials and a solvent-assisted grafting of site-isolated organic functional groups on the mesoporous materials in polar solvents for thesynthesis of various efficient multifunctional mesoporous materials with high surfaceareas and efficient catalytic properties. By judicious choice of multiple functionalgroups, the catalytic selectivity of the materials for specific reactant in a mixture ofreactants or for the generation of specific products, where two or more products arepossible such as Henry reaction, was also demonstrated. The materials structures werecharacterized by a combination of small angle X-ray scattering, power X-ray diffraction,TEM and gas adsorption. The degree of site-isolation of the functional groups wasprobed by a simple colorimetric technique. The relationships between the structures andcompositions and the catalytic properties of the materials towards reactions such asHenry and Michael reactions were investigated.