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Encapsulation of Homogeneous Catalysts in Mesoporous Materials Using Diffusion-Limited Atomic Layer Deposition
Shufang Zhang1,2, Bin Zhang1, Haojie Liang1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan, 030001, PR China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|December 13, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed a novel method to immobilize homogeneous metal catalysts within mesoporous materials using atomic layer deposition (ALD). This technique precisely controls pore size, enhancing catalyst performance and reusability for key chemical reactions.
Area of Science:
- Catalysis
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Homogeneous catalysts offer high activity but suffer from difficult separation and recycling.
- Heterogeneous catalysts are easily separated but often exhibit lower activity and selectivity.
- Developing methods for heterogenizing homogeneous catalysts is crucial for sustainable chemistry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a versatile method for encapsulating homogeneous metal complexes into mesoporous materials.
- To precisely control the pore size of the encapsulation structure for tailored catalyst loading.
- To evaluate the catalytic performance and reusability of the encapsulated catalysts.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing diffusion-limited atomic layer deposition (ALD) to create hollow plugs at the pore entrances of mesoporous materials (SBA-15, SBA-16, MCM-41).
- Precisely controlling sub-nanometer pore size by adjusting the number of ALD cycles to match different metal complex sizes.
- Encapsulating cobalt (Co) and titanium (Ti) complexes within the nanochannels.
Main Results:
- Successfully encapsulated Co and Ti complexes into various mesoporous silica supports.
- Demonstrated excellent catalytic activity of encapsulated Co catalysts in the hydrolytic kinetic resolution of epoxides.
- Showcased excellent catalytic activity and reusability of encapsulated Ti catalysts in asymmetric cyanosilylation of carbonyl compounds.
Conclusions:
- The ALD-assisted encapsulation method provides precise control over catalyst loading and size matching.
- This technique enables the efficient heterogenization of homogeneous catalysts, leading to enhanced activity and reusability.
- The method is versatile and can be extended to encapsulate a wide range of homogeneous catalysts for diverse heterogeneous applications.
