Throughout Ph.D. I have had extensive experience in the synthesis of polymeric organosilicon supports, supported catalysts, multiphase reactions and material characterization using techniques such as FTIR, DRIFTS, XPS, TEM, NMR, BET, etc. I am looking forward to leveraging my existing skills while continuing to learn and work in the field of heterogeneous catalysis, catalyst synthesis, catalyst characterization, multiphase reaction system, reaction engineering, material science to solve challenges relevant to energy, sustainability and environment.
Research Summary
Lignocellulosic bio-oil rich in aromatic oxygenates is an emerging source of useful chemicals and fuels, and hydrogenation reactions are crucial for upgrading the aromatic oxygenates to chemicals and fuels. Hydrogenation of aromatic oxygenates is also prevalent in a wide range of industries, from pharmaceuticals to petroleum. In this work, Aryl-Bridged Polysilsesquioxane (ABPS), a hybrid organic-inorganic silica-based material, has been employed as a palladium (Pd) catalyst support for hydrogenation reactions. The presence of an organic group in this hybrid material allows for facile alterations and tuning of the physical and chemical properties of the material by accommodating a suitable organic group. This work investigated the tunability and application of ABPS as a catalyst support for hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation of model aromatic compounds such as phenol, nitrophenol, and acetophenone. ABPS-based Pd catalyst showed remarkable activity for phenol-hydrogenation, significantly better than commercial Pd/AC and Pd/SBA-15 catalysts. Modifications in the properties of ABPS, such as organic content and aromatic content, allowed for facile tuning of Phenol hydrogenation activity and selectivity. Incorporating amine functionality as a bridging group in ABPS supports enhanced selectivity of phenol hydrogenation reactions to cyclohexanone. Furthermore, Pd/ABPS efficiently catalyzed the nitrophenol hydrogenation reactions and demonstrated enhanced activity in the presence of strong inorganic acids, while a significant reduction in catalytic activity was observed for Pd/AC. Pd/ABPS catalyst exhibited excellent activity for the hydrodeoxygenation of acetophenone to ethylbenzene, comparable with the commercial Pd/AC catalyst. Structure-property-activity relationship of ABPS-supported catalyst was investigated to demonstrate and understand the potential the material as a catalyst support for highly relevant hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation reactions.
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