Organic–inorganic hybrid materials find many applications
in catalysis, nanotechnology, electronics, and many others. Grafting
organic functionalities on inorganic supports is one of the most used
methods for their preparation. Toluene is the solvent of choice for
the grafting reaction, but it is fossil fuel-derived and not devoid
of toxic effects. In this work, we explore the use of sustainable
alternatives,
i.e.
, (+)-α-pinene, (−)-β-pinene,
dimethyl carbonate (DMC), (+)-limonene, and 2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran
(MeTHF), as solvents for grafting. The grafting reaction between 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane
(APTS) and mesoporous ordered silica (MCM-41) was selected as a model
for this study. A comparison of the rate of the grafting reaction
in different solvents is reported. The resulting hybrid materials
were analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and
thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and compared to the reference material
prepared in toluene. MeTHF proved to be the best sustainable alternative
to toluene for model grafting, providing a comparable product in a
significantly shorter reaction time.
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