Sulfonated ordered mesoporous carbon as a stable and highly active protonic acid catalyst

The functionalization of ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) by covalent attachment of sulfonic acid-containing aryl radicals, which can be produced by homogeneous reduction of diazonium salt by hypophosphorous acid, on the carbon surface under mild conditions were presented. Hexagonal tube-like CMK-5 12c was chosen as the substrate as CMK-5 exhibits mesoporosity both inside nanopipes and between nanopipes. CMK-5 was synthesized using AI-SBA-15 as the hard template and furfuryl alcohol (FA) as the carbon precursor. The catalytic performance of CMK-5-SO3H was investigated by esterification of acetic acid with ethanol at 70°C. The stability of CMK-5-SO3H was investigated by reuse of the catalyst for esterification of acetic acid with ethanol. Results shows that CMK-5-SO 3H can be a support for electrocatalysts used in polymer electrolyte fuel cells because of its ability to conduct simultaneously electrons and protons.