Tailored Macroporous Hydrogels With Catalytic Nanoparticles for Chemical Engineering Processes

用于化学工程过程的具有催化纳米颗粒的定制大孔水凝胶

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-04569
• 负责人: Virgilio, Nick
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: École Polytechnique de Montréal
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=713120
• 关键词: Tailored; Macroporous; Hydrogels; Catalytic; Nanoparticles

Transition metal (gold, silver, etc.) nanoparticles (NPs) for heterogeneous catalysis have revealed a wide array of possibilities in the last 20 years. From water treatment applications (e.g. degradation of azo dyes and nitro compounds), to “greener” processes (e.g. the oxidation of alcohols, classically involving toxic compounds), and new synthesis pathways (e.g. aromatic amines for the pharmaceutical industry), NPs offer significant potential for chemical processes at mild conditions (room T and p, aqueous media). NPs come in various shapes, sizes, and compositions i.e. tunable reactivity , and are easy to synthesize. The successful integration of NPs in chemical engineering processes requires (1) preventing their agglomeration and coalescence to maintain reactivity, and (2) to design an efficient process allowing reuse and easy NPs separation. Hydrogels can help achieve these goals since they efficiently entrap and inhibit NPs agglomeration, while allowing reactants and products diffusion to and from NPs surface due to their liquid-like diffusivity properties. However, the reactivity of hybrid gel-NPs materials is typically low due to diffusion-limited mass transfer. One way to significantly enhance mass transfer is to use macroporous hydrogels, which contain networks of interconnected pores (diam. > 50 nm, IUPAC) - the main challenges being to achieve precise control over pore size, distribution and interconnectivity, with the possibility of scaling up the fabrication process. Recently, we have developed a scalable method to synthesize macroporous gels from cocontinuous polymer blends, with a high level of control over the porosity features, and displaying enhanced mass transfer properties. The general goal of this program is to develop morphologically tailored, mechanically robust macroporous gels containing catalytic NPs, such as gold, at controlled loading and reactivity levels. Three specific objectives are proposed : (1) To quantify the impacts of polymer blend, porous polymer mold, and gel morphologies, on the catalytic and mechanical properties of NP-loaded macroporous gels, and to strengthen their mechanical properties; (2) to control the nucleation and growth of NPs in porous gels, to correlate their properties to reactivity and microstructure, and to extend synthesis to multicomponent/anisotropic NPs; (3) To quantify the flow properties and reaction yield in continuous flow conditions, as a function of microstructure. To realize this program, 3 PhD and 5 undergraduate student interns will be hired, working at the interface of polymer/gel processing, nanomaterials synthesis, and catalytic processes projects encompassing multiple aspects of chemical engineering. The long-term objective is to integrate these materials in continuous-flow and membrane reactors for the development of new catalytic, high performance chemical engineering processes.

在过去的20年里，过渡金属（金、银等）纳米颗粒（NPs）在多相催化中的应用显示出了广泛的可能性。从水处理应用（例如偶氮染料和硝基化合物的降解）到“绿色”工艺（例如醇的氧化，通常涉及有毒化合物）和新的合成途径（例如制药工业的芳香胺），NPs为温和条件下的化学工艺（房间T和p，水性介质）提供了巨大的潜力。NPs有各种形状、大小和组成，即可调节的反应性，并且易于合成。NPs在化工过程中的成功整合需要(1)防止其聚集和聚结以保持反应活性，(2)设计一个高效的过程，允许重复使用和易于分离NPs。