Catalytic transformation of levulinic acid to γ-valerolactone on ligand functionalized UiO-66: effect of the hydrophilicity

In this work, the effect of the hydrophilicity of UiO-66 on the transformation of LA to GVL is investigated by functionalization of the organic linkers within the structure

Advanced Catalyst Design by Aerosol Processing

The technical features of aerosol processes make them highly interesting for the continuous, large scale, and tailored production of divided nanomaterials, and in particular of heterogeneous catalysts.[1] In addition to the “simple” aggregation of preformed particles via spray drying, advanced reactive aerosol processes – such as the “aerosol-assisted sol-gel” process (AASG) – allow synthesizing tailored-made catalysts with tunable surface properties, textures, compositions, etc.[2] The method is based on the sol-gel chemistry process, often coupled with the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) concept. It allows producing micronic or submicronic, inorganic or hybrid organic-inorganic particles bearing tuneable and calibrated porous structures at different scales. Here, we present an overview of different types of aerosol-processed heterogeneous catalysts and we explain why this peculiar mode of preparation has allowed reaching enhanced performance in various applications including olefin metathesis,[3] ethyl lactate synthesis,[4] olefin epoxidation,[5] (trans)-esterification.[6] We will also demonstrate the concept of bi-functional hybrid catalyst, combining a nano-zeolite and an enzyme to run a chemo-enzymatic cascade reaction.[7] Our objective is to demonstrate the tremendous possibilities offered by the coupling between bottom up synthesis routes and these aerosol processing technologies which will arguably represent a major route of innovation in the mushrooming field of catalyst preparation research