Synthesis of a Novel Magnetically Retrievable Nanocomposite with Au Nanocatalysts for Hydration Reaction

Xiaoxi Yu,Youran Wu,Yunfeng Cheng,Qingshan Zhao,Yingjie Dai

doi:10.3390/catal9100789

Abstract

Developing efficient catalysts with good recyclability is of great importance for its practical applications. In this study, a novel magnetically retrievable nanocomposite (Au-SiO2@Fe3O4-RGO) was synthesized for catalyzing hydration reaction. Active Au nanoparticles are deposited on core-shell SiO2@Fe3O4, which are further supported by a two-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (RGO) platform. The prepared Au-SiO2@Fe3O4-RGO was proven to be efficient as well as recyclable. An excellent catalytic performance, with 97% yield towards the hydration of phenylacetylene, was achieved for the catalyst in dioxane. Remarkably, the catalyst can be readily recycled through magnetic separation and achieved superior catalyst recovery and stability after seven cycles without any metal leaching. This work provides a strategy to fabricate recyclable and durable catalysts for industrial applications.

Highlights

The hydration reactions are of great importance for the production of valuable carbonyl derivatives
Great efforts have been put on exploring the high activity as well as the preparation methods for Au-based catalysts [5,6,7,8,9]
Gold catalysts prepared by mechanochemical activation exhibited superior water–gas shift activity than those prepared with coprecipitation [6]

Summary

Introduction

The hydration reactions are of great importance for the production of valuable carbonyl derivatives. The first group of catalysts applied for hydration reaction is mercury salts [1,2]. Due to the high toxicity of Hg, such catalysts often bring about severe health and environmental problems. Great efforts have been put on exploring the high activity as well as the preparation methods for Au-based catalysts [5,6,7,8,9]. A 100% benzene conversion was achieved for the Au-based catalyst [5]. Au catalysts are costly and hard to be recovered from reaction systems. Heterogeneous catalysts are developed by incorporating Au active species on solid supports such as carbon and silica (SiO2 ) [10]. Even though the heterogeneous catalysts can be separated using centrifugation or filtration for reuse, the loss of catalyst during separation is still inevitable, which limits the practical applications of these heterogeneous catalysts

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion