Mesoporous hexagonal WO<sub>3</sub> catalysts with tuned acidity via co-surfactant-assisted synthesis for selective glycerol dehydration

Zengin Y., Hamid M. A., Kaya B., Boroglu M., Boz I.

MATERIALS TODAY COMMUNICATIONS, cilt.47, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 47
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2025.113079
  • Dergi Adı: MATERIALS TODAY COMMUNICATIONS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Chemical Abstracts Core, Compendex, INSPEC
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Acidic catalysts, Acrolein production, Glycerol dehydration, Hexagonal Tungsten Bronze, Mesoporous WO3
  • İstanbul Üniversitesi-Cerrahpaşa Adresli: Evet

Özet

Acrolein, a crucial precursor to acrylic acid, is traditionally produced via propylene oxidation. This work investigates a more sustainable approach: acrolein production from glycerol dehydration using hydrothermally synthesized mesoporous hexagonal tungsten oxide (h-WO3) catalysts. While h-WO3 offers high selectivity for acrolein, its stability presents a challenge. We addressed this by optimizing the crystal phase through controlled hydrothermal methods and enhancing porosity with co-surfactants, improving mass transfer. The prevalent hexagonal tungsten bronze (HTB) phase in the investigated catalysts is demonstrated to enhance activity compared to traditional monoclinic WOx. Moreover, the mesoporous structure of the catalysts facilitates mass transfer and active site accessibility, enhancing glycerol dehydration performance. Optimization of the synthesis process, incorporating varied hydrazine ratios and tungsten starting salts, refines catalyst properties. Structural characterization explicates variations in lattice W-O bond types and acidity, correlating with catalytic behavior. The resulting mesoporous HTB catalysts exhibit high efficiency, achieving acrolein yields of up to similar to 100 %, along with notable stability, maintaining selectivity above 88 % after 72 h of glycerol dehydration.