A luminescent mesoporous zirconium complex and it as a precursor of environmentally benign catalysts

•Amorphous zirconium oxy-hydroxy acetate–persulfate complex and the complex doped by Eu3+ have been developed as single-phased and single-doped phosphors for white-light emission.•They exhibit the photoluminescence and color properties comparable to or better than those of the crystalline MOFs.•They can be prepared through a low-cost chemical synthesis approach at a temperature as low as 210 °C.•The sulfated zirconia synthesized under structure-directing agent-free and calcined at 650 °C can show a high BET surface area (83 m2g−1), mesopore (18 nm), and large total pore volume (0.42 cm3g−1).•Monometallic Pd-promoted sulfated zirconia remains mesoporous, with surface area 91 m2g−1, averaged pore diameter 12 nm, and total pore volume 0.26 cm3g−1.•The sulfated zirconia treated with silver sulfate and Pd-promoted sulfated zirconia have been used for the esterification of lauric acid with methanol and for n-hexane isomerization with high conversion and selectivity, respectively.•The pristine complex can be used as a precursor of environmentally benign catalysts in the esterification of lauric acid with methanol and in n-hexane isomerification.

Much attention should be paid to developing new materials for energy saving and environmentally benign catalysis. Herein we report the broad-band direct white-light emission originating from a single-phased and single-doped phosphor,i.e., a luminescent mesoporous zirconium oxy-hydroxy acetate–persulfate complex and the complex doped by Eu3+. The amorphous complexes exhibit the photoluminescence and color properties comparable to or better than those of the crystalline MOFs. The attracting feature of this route to white-light emission comes from the single-phased and single-doped phosphors that can be prepared through a low-cost chemical synthesis approach. In addition to photoluminescence, the complexes show useful textural properties. The pristine complex has been used as a precursor of environmentally benign catalysts in the esterification of lauric acid with methanol and in n-hexane isomerization.

Graphical abstractAmorphous zirconium oxy-hydroxy acetate–persulfate complex and the complex doped by Eu3+ have been developed as single-phased and single-doped phosphors for white-light emission. They exhibit the photoluminescence and color properties comparable to or better than those of the crystalline MOFs. In addition, the pristine complex can be used as a precursor of environmentally benign catalysts in the esterification of lauric acid with methanol and in n-hexane isomerization.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide