Abstract
Chitosan, a bio-based polymer which has similar characteristics to those of cellulose, exhibits cationic behavior in acidic solutions and strong affinity for metals ions. Thus, it has received increased attention for the preparation of heterogeneous catalysts. Recent studies demonstrated that chitosan-based catalysts had high sorption capacities, chelating activities, stability and versatility, which could be potentially applied as green reactants in various scientific and engineering applications. This study intends to review the recent development of chitosan-based catalysts, particularly in the aspects of the main mechanisms for preparing the materials and their applications in environmental green chemistry. Studies on the preparation of catalyst nanoparticles/nanospheres supported on chitosan were also reviewed.
Highlights
Chitosan, a natural polysaccharide-based biopolymer, has attracted considerable attention in various scientific and engineering applications [1]
The results showed that the catalysts’ performance strongly depended on the leaving ability and nucleophilicity of the anions on the chitosan-supported catalysts [49]
In addition to its application in organic synthesis, chitosan has been studied extensively to act as a high-capacity adsorbent, for the efficient removal of various contaminants from wastewater, such as anionic and cationic dyes as well as heavy metal ions
Summary
A natural polysaccharide-based biopolymer, has attracted considerable attention in various scientific and engineering applications [1]. Chitosan was extensively investigated in metal extraction [2,3,4], chemical synthesis reaction [5,6] and electrolyte-based fuel cells studies [7,8]. The use of chitosan as novel supporting materials for heterogeneous catalysis is on the rise, mainly due to its high affinity to metal ions [13,14,23]. Recent efforts in chitosan researche have been made to explore new applications in the area of catalysis. Chitosan-metal catalysts have been investigated in the chemical reactions of hydrogenation [5,24,25]. This review intends to provide an overview of current applications of chitosan as heterogeneous catalysts supports.
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