Amine-Functionalized Self-Pillared Pentasil (SPP) MFI as a Novel Acid-Base Bifunctional Catalyst

Abstract

Self-pillared pentasil (SPP) MFI is a novel hierarchical zeolite material with a simple and economic synthetic route that has potential use in designs for acid-base bifunctional catalysts. With a high abundance of Brønsted acid sites, aluminosilicate SPP MFI have unique advantages in catalyzing hydrolysis of acetal compounds, which can form aldehydes that can proceed to participate in the Knoevenagel condensation. Immobilization of amine groups through grafting has been shown to produce a catalyst that can catalyze a cascade of acetal hydrolysis and Knoevenagel condensation to near completion within 10 hours. Additionally, the incorporation of palladium nanoparticles can create a catalyst with a further function of selectively hydrogenating the carbon-carbon double bond of the Knoevenagel product, which will require assessment in terms of its performance and reusability in further kinetic experiments.