Synthesis, Characterization and Catalytic Studies of N-Doped Ordered Mesoporous Carbons and Functionalized Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica

Ordered porous materials are crucial and ubiquitous in fundamental research and many practical applications such as catalysis, adsorption, separation, and sensing due to their unique properties such as high surface areas, large pore volumes, and narrow and tunable pore size distributions. The primary focus of this work was the synthesis of two different types of mesoporous materials: nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (N-OMC) and functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO), their characterization and their potential applications.;My research on N-OMC is focused on its synthesis, characterization, and its use as an active catalyst for hydrogenation of nitrobenzene. In this study, N-OMC were synthesized via polycondensation of 3-aminophenol and formaldehyde templated by self-assembled Pluronic F127 micelles in basic medium. Hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) was used as a source of formaldehyde during the condensation reaction. The material was carbonized at various temperatures to control nitrogen content (%N) and degree of graphitization. N-OMC was studied as a support for catalytic palladium nanoparticles, prepared via incipient wetness impregnation. The goal of this study is to evaluate the effects of nitrogen-doping of OMC on the catalytic activity of supported Pd towards the selective hydrogenation of nitroarenes. Our study suggests that Pd-N-OMC showed better catalytic activity for hydrogenation of nitrobenzene than Pd-OMC. The better catalytic activity of Pd-N-OMC can be attributed to formation of small Pd nanoparticles and uniform distribution.;The research on PMO is focused on the synthesis of ethylene and phenylene bridged PMO functionalized with various organic groups. The materials were synthesized via co-condensation between organo-mono-silanes and organo-bis-silanes. The parent- and functionalized-EPMO, and BPMO materials exhibited high surface area, pore volume, and pore sizes. We believe these functional materials have ideal properties for advanced applications such as interfacial catalysis and selective adsorption.