Titanium dioxide functionalized silicon carbide phases as heterogeneous epoxidation catalysts

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Catalysis
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Epoxidation is a crucial reaction in organic synthesis.
• Developing efficient and selective heterogeneous catalysts is essential for sustainable chemical processes.
• Silicon carbide (SiC) offers a robust platform for catalyst development due to its chemical and thermal stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel SiC-based epoxidation catalysts.
• To evaluate the catalytic performance of these SiC/SiO2/TiO2 catalysts for cyclohexene epoxidation.
• To investigate the influence of the core-shell structure on catalytic activity and selectivity.

Main Methods:

• Surface modification of silicon carbide microparticles to create a silica/titania shell.
• Utilizing the modified SiC as heterogeneous catalysts.
• Performing epoxidation of cyclohexene using tert-butyl hydroperoxide or cumyl hydroperoxide as oxidants.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized SiC-based catalysts with a silica/titania shell.
• Achieved high conversions of cyclohexene, up to 83%.
• Demonstrated excellent selectivities for epoxidation products, exceeding 90%.

Conclusions:

• The developed SiC/SiO2/TiO2 core-shell catalysts are highly effective for heterogeneous epoxidation.
• The unique structure of the catalyst contributes to its high activity and selectivity.
• These findings present a promising advancement in catalyst design for epoxidation reactions.