Enhancement of catalytic performance by creating shell layers on sulfonic acid-functionalized monodispersed mesoporous silica spheres

Controlled direct synthesis of single- to multiple-layer MWW zeolite

The minimized diffusion limitation and completely exposed strong acid sites of the ultrathin zeolites make it an industrially important catalyst especially for converting bulky molecules. However, the structure-controlled and large-scale synthesis of the material is still a challenge. In this work, the direct synthesis of the single-layer MWW zeolite was demonstrated by using hexamethyleneimine and amphiphilic organosilane as structure-directing agents. Characterization results confirmed the formation of the single-layer MWW zeolite with high crystallinity and excellent thermal/hydrothermal stability. The formation mechanism was rigorously revealed as the balanced rates between the nucleation/growth of the MWW nanocrystals and the incorporation of the organosilane into the MWW unit cell, which is further supported by the formation of MWW nanosheets with tunable thickness via simply changing synthesis conditions. The commercially available reagents, well-controlled structure and the high catalytic stability for the alkylation of benzene with 1-dodecene make it an industrially important catalyst.

A reconstruction strategy to synthesize mesoporous SAPO molecular sieve single crystals with high MTO catalytic activity

A reconstruction strategy for the fast synthesis of mesoporous SAPO molecular sieve single crystals has been developed. The synthesized mesoporous SAPO-34 single crystals exhibit excellent hydrothermal stability and high catalytic activity in the MTO reaction.

Multifunctional mesoporous silica-supported palladium nanoparticles for selective phenol hydrogenation in the aqueous phase

A simple, highly efficient and recoverable multifunctional core–shell structured mesoporous silica catalyst has been developed for selective phenol hydrogenation.

Hydrophobic core/hydrophilic shell structured mesoporous silica nanospheres: enhanced adsorption of organic compounds from water

Inspired by the structure features of micelle, we attempt to synthesize a novel functionalized mesoporous silica nanosphere consisting of a hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic shell. The obtained solid materials were structurally confirmed by N(2) sorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Their compositions were characterized by Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), solid state NMR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and elemental analysis. Its fundamental properties such as dispersibility in water or organic phase, wettability, and adsorption ability toward hydrophobic organics in water were investigated. It was revealed that these important properties could be facilely adjusted through varying structure and composition. In particular, these materials showed much better adsorption ability toward hydrophobic organic molecules in water than conventional monofunctionalized mesoporous materials, owing to possessing the hydrophobic/hydrophilic domain-segregated and hierarchically functionalized mesoporous structures. The intriguing properties would make mesoporous materials more accessible to many important applications, especially in aqueous systems.

Novel polypeptide/thiol--SBA-15 hybrid materials synthesized via surface selective grafting

Novel hybrid materials are synthesized through the surface selective grafting of poly-L-lysine and thiols from SBA-15.