Silica-Supported Phosphotungstic Acid as Green Heterogeneous Catalyst for <i>α</i>-Pinene Polymerization

Abstract

Phosphotungstic acid supported over silica catalysts were prepared, characterized and tested. The results show that silica-supported phosphotungstic acid with 50 wt% of loading amount indicates excellent catalytic performance for the polymerization ofα-pinene. It is also found that the products are easily separated from reaction mixture and the silica-supported phosphotungstic acid catalysts are low-corrosive. Hence, a clean and environmentally friendly heterogeneous catalyst forα-pinene polymerization is reported.