Nanoscopic tin oxide films on mesoporous silica as novel catalysts for hydrogen transfer reactions

Journal article

Deposition of tin-oxygen species on mesoporous silica (MCM-41) was achieved via chemical reaction of SnEt4 vapour with surface silanol groups followed by heat treatment in air. At low Sn loading, EXAFS studies indicate six Sn-O interactions at an average distance of 2.043 angstrom and Sn-Si interactions at a distance of 3.791 angstrom. This suggests that SnO6 octahedra were formed which anchored onto the surface of MCM-41 via Sn-O-Si bonds. At high Sn loading, tin oxide nanocrystallites (SnO2) with rutile structure are evident (TEM, XRD). It was found that these mesoporous-silica supported tin oxides, after H2 pre-treatment, showed higher activity than bulk SnO2 supported on conventional silica in catalysing the hydrogen transfer reaction from a secondary alcohol to an unsaturated aldehyde.

Authors: Tsang, S; Burch, R; Nishiyama, S; Gleeson, D; Cruise, N

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Journal: Nanostructured Materials
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 999-1002
• Publication date: 1999-01-01
• DOI: 10.1016/S0965-9773(99)00286-X
• ISSN: 0965-9773
• Language: English