Main-chain engineering of polymer photocatalysts with hydrophilic non-conjugated segments for visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution.

Photocatalytic water splitting is attracting considerable interest because it enables the conversion of solar energy into hydrogen for use as a zero-emission fuel or chemical feedstock. Herein, we present a universal approach for inserting hydrophilic non-conjugated segments into the main-chain of conjugated polymers to produce a series of discontinuously conjugated polymer photocatalysts. Water can effectively be brought into the interior through these hydrophilic non-conjugated segments, resulting in effective water/polymer interfaces inside the bulk discontinuously conjugated polymers in both thin-film and solution. Discontinuously conjugated polymer with 10 mol% hexaethylene glycol-based hydrophilic segments achieves an apparent quantum yield of 17.82% under 460 nm monochromatic light irradiation in solution and a hydrogen evolution rate of 16.8 mmol m-2 h-1 in thin-film. Molecular dynamics simulations show a trend similar to that in experiments, corroborating that main-chain engineering increases the possibility of a water/polymer interaction. By introducing non-conjugated hydrophilic segments, the effective conjugation length is not altered, allowing discontinuously conjugated polymers to remain efficient photocatalysis.

Effect of Pd Precursor Salts on the Chemical State, Particle Size, and Performance of Activated Carbon-Supported Pd Catalysts for the Selective Hydrogenation of Palm Biodiesel.

To improve the oxidative stability of biodiesel fuel (BDF), the polyunsaturated fatty acid methyl esters (poly-FAME) presented in commercial palm oil-derived biodiesel fuel (palm-BDF) were selectively hydrogenated to monounsaturated fatty acid methyl esters (mono-FAME) under a mild condition (80 °C, 0.5 MPa) using activated carbon (AC)-supported Pd catalysts with a Pd loading of 1 wt.%. The partially hydrotreated palm-BDF (denoted as H-FAME) which has low poly-FAME components is a new type of BDF with enhanced quality for use in high blends. In this study, we reported that the chemical states and particle sizes of Pd in the prepared Pd/AC catalysts were significantly influenced by the Pd precursors, Pd(NO3)2 and Pd(NH3)4Cl2, and thus varied their hydrogenation activity and product selectivity. The 1%Pd/AC (nit) catalyst, prepared using Pd(NO3)2, presented high performance for selective hydrogenation of poly-FAME into mono-FAME with high oxidation stability, owning to its large Pd particles (8.4 nm). Conversely, the 1%Pd/AC (amc) catalyst, prepared using Pd(NH3)4Cl2, contained small Pd particles (2.7 nm) with a little Cl residues, which could be completely removed by washing with an aqueous solution of 0.1 M NH4OH. The small Pd particles gave increased selectivity toward unwanted-FAME components, particularly the saturated fatty acid methyl esters during the hydrogenation of poly-FAME. This selectivity is unprofitable for improving the biodiesel quality.

Production of Jatropha biodiesel fuel over sulfonic acid-based solid acids.

Sulfonic acid-functionalized platelet SBA-15 mesoporous silica with an acid capacity of 2.44mmol H(+) g-cat(-1) (shortly termed 15SA-SBA-15-p) was one-pot synthesized by co-condensation method. When applied as solid acid catalyst in synthesis of Jatropha biodiesel fuel (BDF), the 15SA-SBA-15-p catalyst showed higher activity and resistances to water and free fatty acid (FFA) than commercial sulfonic resins of Amberlyst-15 and SAC-13. For the continuous Jatropha BDF production, a steady 75-78wt% of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content was obtained over 15SA-SBA-15-p catalyst at 150°C for 75h, whereas the Amberlyst-15 and SAC-13 catalysts were quickly deactivated due to the decomposition of thermally unstable framework and serious leaching of sulfonic acids. More importantly, the quality, stability and cold flow characteristic of Jatropha BDF synthesized by 15SA-SBA-15-p catalyst were better than those synthesized by Amberlyst-15 and SAC-13 catalysts, making the blending with petro-diesel an easy task.