High-temperature synthesis of strong acidic ionic liquids functionalized, ordered and stable mesoporous polymers with excellent catalytic activities

Abstract

Strong acidic ionic liquids functionalized, ordered and stable mesoporous phenol–formaldehyde resins (OMR-ILs) monoliths have been successfully synthesized from the treatment of ordered mesoporous resins (OMR-[HMTA]) using 1,3-propanesultone, followed by ion exchanged using various strong acids. The OMR-[HMTA] samples could be synthesized by the assembly of block copolymer template of F127 with preformed resol, which could be obtained from heating a mixture of phenol and formaldehyde at 70 °C; during curing processes, certain contents of the hexamethyltetramine (HMTA) cross linker were also introduced, after hydrothermal treatment at 200 °C for 20 h, calcination at 360 °C under nitrogen, OMR-[HMTA] samples with opened mesopores were obtained. Characterizations suggest that OMR-ILs have ordered and stable mesospores, high BET surface areas, and strong acid strength. Interestingly, OMR-ILs show much higher catalytic activities and recyclability in the esterification of acetic acid with cyclohexanol, hydration of propylene oxide, Peckmann reaction of resorcinol with ethyl acetoacetate and transesterification of tripalmitin with methanol than those of Amberlyst 15, sulfonic group functional ordered mesoporous silicas and acidic zeolites, which were even comparable with that of H₂SO₄. The unique features of OMR-ILs such as superior thermal stability, excellent catalytic activities and recyclability, will be potentially important for their applications in industry.