Porous Chitosan-Silica Hybrid Microspheres as a Potential Catalyst

Abstract

Chitosan/silica hybrids were synthesized and shaped as microspheres, which may or may not present a core/shell structure, depending on the experimental conditions. The core is constituted by a homogeneous hybrid, while the shell is pure silica. The amino groups of the biopolymer are still accessible as active sites for heterogeneous catalysis.