High Catalytic Activity of Nitrogen-Containing Carbon from Molecular
Sieves in Fine Chemistry
CATALYSIS LETTERS, 131 (1-2):
135-145 (2009)DOI: 10.1007/s10562-009-9928-8
Abstract
Nanostructured nitrogen-containing carbon (CNs) were prepared by
nanocasting techniques using MCM-41, MCM-22, and FAU molecular sieves.
The surface and morphological features of CN were investigated by XRD,
SEM, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, XPS, and N-2 adsorption isotherms. The
catalytic activity in a fine chemistry reaction was also evaluated. The
amine-functionalized carbon materials studied are potentially of great
importance because of their textural features and high catalytic
performance towards Knoevenaguel condensation. In addition, variation of
the structure of the molecular sieve material from FAU to MCM-41 led to
an increase in the conversion from 23 to 80%. This may be correlated to
the basic active sites upon incorporation of nitrogen and also an
organized CN that provides active, selective, and stable catalysts to
the target reaction. The re-use of the MCM-41-CN does not affect the
selectivity of the desired product.