FANSOC · Functionalized carbon-supported Au Nanoparticles for Selective Oxidation Catalysis
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2016-03-01 → 2018-02-28
- EU contribution
- €177,599
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
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Results in brief
Functionalized carbon-supported Au Nanoparticles for Selective Oxidation Catalysis
Selective oxidation of organic compounds, such as alcohols and aldehydes, is a highly important transformation traditionally performed in industry using either stoichiometric oxidants, such as Mn- and Cr-containing salts, or, less frequently, homogeneous catalysts. The stoichiometric oxidants have a strong environmental impact by producing a large amount of waste, often toxic/carcinogenic, while homogeneous catalysts have a recyclability issue due to the difficulty of their separation from the product mixture. The importance of selective oxidation is expected to grow further in the coming years due to emerging applications, such as conversion of renewable sources (biomass) to chemicals and materials. A more environmentally friendly and economical alternative is oxidations using O2 as an oxidant and heterogeneous catalysts. Specifically, this action investigates gold nanoparticles supported on carbon materials with tailored surface properties. The main objectives include gaining an insight into how the surface characteristics of carbon support materials affect activity, selectivity and stability of supported metal nanoparticles in liquid-phase oxidations of alcohols and aldehydes, as well as understanding whether surface basic groups on carbon support can replace homogeneous base used as a co-catalyst. Better understanding of these relationships can advance targeted design of heterogeneous catalysts which can make oxidation reactions possible under milder conditions with improved reusability of the catalyst and better selectivity. All these can reduce the negative environmental and economic impact of selective oxidation processes.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Oxidation of alcohols is one of the key reactions in the fine chemicals industry and is crucial for the conversion of biomass into valuable chemicals. Au catalysts demonstrate promising activity and selectivity in the aerobic oxidation of alcohols, however, they require addition of bases to operate at low temperatures, and often suffer from deactivation due to particle growth. Here I propose a strategy to circumvent these issues: employing Au catalysts supported on carbon materials with introduced basic surface groups. I will prepare and characterize a series of basic and novel “super-basic” carbon materials. Colloidally prepared gold nanoparticles will be deposited onto these supports, and the resulting catalysts will be tested for the selective oxidation of two relevant types of alcohols. Key will be the use of advanced characterization techniques to understand how the basic surface groups on the carbon affect the activity, selectivity and stability of Au catalysts in alcohol oxidation. I will address parameters such as changes in surface properties, shape and electronic properties of the Au nanoparticles, and changes in the adsorption strength of reactants, intermediates and products as a result of the different carbon surface functionalizations. The outcomes of this project will advance our understanding of the properties of Au nanoparticles supported on functionalized carbon materials, and in a broader sense generate insight into metal-support effects in catalysis, and hence facilitate the rational design of supported metal catalysts. Furthermore, this project will allow me to strengthen and expand my skills and expertise in the field of catalysis and materials chemistry, build professional network and establish my position as a researcher in Europe, which will help me to reach full independence in the future.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT · UtrechtCoordinatorNetherlands
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union