Designing Materials for Aqueous Catalysis: Ionic Liquid Gel and Silica Sphere Entrapped Iron-TAML Catalysts for Oxidative Degradation of Dyes
Peter McNeice, Andrew Reid, Hasan T. Imam, Carol McDonagh, Joel D. Walby, Terrence J. Collins, Andrew C. Marr, Patricia C. Marr
Abstract
Materials have been developed that encapsulate a homogeneous catalyst and enable it to operate as a heterogeneous catalyst in water. A hydrophobic ionic liquid within the material was used to dissolve Fe-TAML and keep it from leaching into the aqueous phase. One-pot processes were used to entrap Fe-TAML in basic ionic liquid gels, and ionic liquid gel spheres structured via a modified Stöber synthesis forming SiO2 particles of uniform size. Catalytic activity was demonstrated via the oxidative degradation of dyes. Fe-TAML entrapped in a basic ionic liquid gel exhibited consistent activity in five recycles. This discovery of heterogenized H2O2 activators prepared by sol–gel and Stöber processes opens new possibilities for the creation of engineered catalytic materials for water purification.