Selective hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde over Au nanoparticles confined in APTS-functionalized mesoporous silicas

Abstract

Abstract Au-containing SBA-15 catalysts were prepared by the conventional wet impregnation method, two-solvent method and grafting method, respectively. The effect of the preparation method, resulting in different Au particle size and metal-support interaction, has been investigated in liquid phase hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde. It is found that the overall activity and selectivity to crotyl alcohol are effectively enhanced after incorporation of Au nanoparticle to SBA-15 by the grafting method. Over Au/APTS-SBA-15, the maximum yield of crotyl alcohol amounts to 51.7%, and the corresponding selectivity is as high as 53.6%. Based on the characterizations, the superior catalytic activity and selectivity are attributed to the smaller Au nanoparticles and the electronic interaction between APTS and Au, respectively.