A novel microwave assisted process for the synthesis of nanostructured ruthenium catalysts active in the hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanone

An efficient, cheap and safe process for the solvothermal synthesis of ruthenium nanocatalysts has been developed: it involves the innovative use of a microwave (MW) applicator for the in situ activation of the reaction in a stirred glass vessel without resorting to an oven. The synthesis was carried out by direct MW irradiation of an alcohol or glycol solution of the metal precursor RuCl3nH2O, in the presence of PVP (poly-N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) as stabilizing agent and eventually of γ-Al2O3 as support. The addition of PVP appears not to be necessary for the in situ preparation of the supported systems. The synthesized nanocatalysts were characterized by UV–Vis, TEM and XPS measurements: colloidal and supported nanoparticles with an average diameter about 2 nm and a narrow distribution of sizes were obtained. The supported systems showed interesting performances in the selective hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanone.

The synthesis of ruthenium nanocatalysts has been performed by adopting a novel microwave assisted process, which involves the use of an applicator working in a glass vessel out of the oven.Ru/γ-Al2O3 nanosystems, prepared in situ by irradiation of a glycol solution of the metal precursor in the presence of the support, showed interesting performances in the selective hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanone.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide