Efficient polymer-based nanocatalysts with enhanced catalytic performance in wet air oxidation of phenol

In this paper we report the synthesis of robust and efficient nanocatalysts based on Pt-containing nanoparticles (NPs) formed in the pores of hypercrosslinked polystyrene (HPS) and their catalytic performance in the phenol CWAO under mild conditions. The Pt species were incorporated in HPS using wet impregnation of platinic acid in tetrahydrofuran followed by NaHCO3 treatment. The catalysts containing from 0.11 to 4.85 wt.% of Pt were studied by X-ray fluorescence analysis, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and liquid nitrogen physisorption methods. The NP sizes were found to be independent of the amount of platinic acid used for impregnation, but rather controlled by the pores of HPS. Three types of Pt species: Pt(0), Pt(II), and Pt(IV), constituted the NP composition. The effects of the phenol and catalyst initial concentrations and temperature were investigated in the phenol CWAO. Removal of 97% of the phenol with 94.2% selectivity to CO2 and H2O were observed for the most active catalyst containing 0.95 wt.% Pt. These parameters are significantly higher than those for the conventional Al2O3–Pt catalyst with the similar amount of the active metal or for Pt(5%)/activated carbon.