Synthesis, characterization and catalytic behavior of functionalized mesoporous SBA-15 with various organo-silanes

Mesoporous silica SBA-15 has been synthesized and functionalized by one-step synthesis method to widen their various application possibilities. In this study, phenyltrimethoxysilane (PTMS), 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and trimethoxypropylsilane (TMPS) were used as silane precursors for the functionalization, and after treated with HCl solution, their catalytic activities were evaluated in the lactic acid–methanol esterification. The presence of anchoring of functional groups on SBA-15 was proved by XRD, FT-IR, BET surface area and pore size distributions. Good catalytic activity was observed especially for SBA-15–SO3H–MPTMS, and the catalytic activity order was determined as follows: SBA-15–SO3H–MPTMS > SBA-15–TMPS > SBA-15–PTMS, which is directly associated with the surface area, pore size and pore volume. As compared with homogeneous catalyst, SBA-15–SO3H–MPTMS heterogeneous catalyst shows remarkable performance, such as separation, recovery and reusability.