Rational Catalyst Design: A Multifunctional Mesoporous Silica Catalyst for Shifting the Reaction Equilibrium by Removal of Byproduct

Abstract

Bifunctional mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) catalysts for esterification reaction, containing a Brønsted acid site of diarylammonium triflate (DAT) and a pentafluorophenyl propyl (PFP) group, were synthesized and thoroughly characterized. Their high reactivity is attributed to the formation of a surface-bound hydrophobic layer of PFP molecules, which facilitates the extrusion of one of the reaction products (water) from the mesopores by suppressing water adsorption onto the surface, thereby shifting the reaction equilibrium to completion.