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Propylsulfonic Acid-Functionalized Mesostructured Natural Rubber/Silica Nanocomposites as Promising Hydrophobic Solid Catalysts for Alkyl Levulinate Synthesis
| Content Provider | MDPI |
|---|---|
| Author | Chaowamalee, Supphathee Yan, Ning Ngamcharussrivichai, Chawalit |
| Copyright Year | 2022 |
| Description | Organosulfonic acid-functionalized mesoporous silica is a class of heterogeneous acid catalysts used in esterification processes due to its high surface area, shape-selective properties, and strongly acidic sites. Since water is generated as a by-product of esterification, the surface of mesostructured silica is modified to enhance hydrophobicity and catalytic performance. In this study, a series of propylsulfonic acid-functionalized nanocomposites based on natural rubber and hexagonal mesoporous silica $(NRHMS-SO_{3}$H) with different acidities were prepared via an in situ sol-gel process using tetraethyl orthosilicate as the silica source, dodecylamine as the nonionic templating agent, and (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane as the acid-functional group precursor. Compared with conventional propylsulfonic acid-functionalized hexagonal mesoporous silica $(HMS-SO_{3}$H), $NRHMS-SO_{3}$H provided higher hydrophobicity, while retaining mesoporosity and high surface area. The catalytic activity of synthesized solid acids was then evaluated via batch esterification of levulinic acid (LA) with alcohols (ethanol, n-propanol, and n-butanol) to produce alkyl levulinate esters. $NRHMS-SO_{3}$H exhibited higher catalytic activity than $HMS-SO_{3}$H and ultra-stable Y (HUSY) zeolite owing to the synergistic effect between the strongly acidic-functional group and surface hydrophobicity. The activation energy of the reaction over the $NRHMS-SO_{3}$H surface was lower than that of HUSY and $HMS-SO_{3}$H, suggesting that tuning the hydrophobicity and acidity on a nanocomposite surface is a compelling strategy for energy reduction to promote catalysis. |
| Starting Page | 604 |
| e-ISSN | 20794991 |
| DOI | 10.3390/nano12040604 |
| Journal | Nanomaterials |
| Issue Number | 4 |
| Volume Number | 12 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | MDPI |
| Publisher Date | 2022-02-11 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Nanomaterials Environmental Engineering Nanocomposite Mesoporous Silica Natural Rubber in Situ Sol-gel Solid Acid Catalyst Esterification |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
