Titanosilicate mesoporous materials with adjustable textural properties for catalyzing the acetalization reaction of biomass derived furfural and n-propanol

• Published in: Journal of sol-gel science and technology Vol. 106; no. 2; pp. 349 - 359
• Main Authors: Song, Fan, Yao, Xiandong, Wan, Cong, Wang, Lijun, Xi, Shuang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.05.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Applications close to industry; Biomass; Catalysts; Ceramics; Chemistry and Materials Science; Composites; Furfural; Glass; Inorganic Chemistry; Lewis acid; Materials Science; Nanotechnology; Natural Materials; Optical and Electronic Materials; Original Paper: Sol-gel and hybrid materials for catalytic; photoelectrochemical and sensor applications; Pore size; Silicon; Sol-gel processes; Specific surface; Surface area; Tetraethyl orthosilicate; Titanium oxides; Lewis acid; acetalization reaction; mesoporous materials; sol-gel
• ISSN: 0928-0707; 1573-4846
• DOI: 10.1007/s10971-022-05809-w

Titanosilicate mesoporous materials (TiSi-MMs) with adjustable textural properties were synthesized by the sol-gel method. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was used as Si source, while tetraethyl orthotitanate (TEOT) or potassium titanium oxide oxalate dihydrate (PTOOD) was used as Ti source. With an increase of Ti content, the specific surface area and pore volume of TiSi-MMs decrease while the pore size increases. The specific surface area, pore volume and average pore diameter of TEOT-derived TiSi-MMs are larger than those of PTOOD-derived TiSi-MMs. In the acetalization reaction of biomass-derived furfural with n -propanol, the conversions of furfural over TEOT-derived TiSi-MMs are higher than that over silicate mesoporous material (Si-MM), demonstrating that the introduction of Ti significantly enhances the catalytic performance. Furthermore, the catalytic performance of TEOT-derived TiSi-MMs is better than that of PTOOD-derived TiSi-MMs. The sample with the largest Ti content and the highest number of strongly acidic sites shows the best catalytic performance. The numbers of strong acidic sites are positively correlated with the Ti contents of TiSi-MMs. Ti content and specific surface area are the two main factors affecting the catalytic performance because they determine the density and intensity of accessible Lewis acidic catalytic sites (coordinatively unsaturated Ti 4+ ) in the catalyst channels, thus determining the catalytic performance in the acetalization reaction. These TiSi-MMs show good catalytic performance and can be used to efficiently catalyze the acetalization reaction of biomass derived furfural and n -propanol. Graphical abstract Highlights Lewis acid sites of the catalyst mainly originate from coordinatively unsaturated Ti 4+ on surface. The number of strong acidic sites is positively correlated with the Ti content of catalyst. Acid strength rather than acid amount of the catalyst plays a more important role in some cases.