Jeroen Lauwaert

Silanol‐Assisted Aldol Condensation on Aminated Silica: Understanding the Arrangement of Functional Groups

Free silanol groups are known to promote the activity of aminated silica. In this work the effect of the silanol‐to‐amine ratio on the aldol condensation of 4‐nitrobenzaldehyde and acetone is investigated in a range from 0 to 2.4. Irrespective of the amine density, identical, moderate turnover frequencies are obtained if the silica exclusively has amines on its surface. The turnover frequency increases with increasing silanol‐to‐amine ratio until an upper limit is reached at a silanol‐to‐amine ratio of 1.7. At this upper limit the turnover frequency is a factor 5 higher than the turnover frequencies obtained with the monofunctional amine‐based catalysts. This increase is ascribed to hydrogen‐bridge interactions between the silanols and the carbonyl moiety of the reactants that provoke a more easy interaction between the carbonyl moiety and the amine as required for the aldol condensation. The observation that higher values than one for the silanol‐to‐amine ratio are required is rationalized by computer simulations. It was found that amine groups were grafted on the silica surface in a clustered manner, originating from positive deviations from ideality in the synthesis mixture, that is, from clustering of the amine precursor in the liquid phase.

Recent advances on the utilization of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and related heterogeneous catalysts in a lignocellulosic-feedstock biorefinery scheme

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and derived materials have been widely used as heterogeneous catalysts for different types of reactions either in gas or in liquid phase. Among these processes, the valorization/upgrading of lignocellulosic biomass and derived molecules have attracted enormous attention because it constitutes a pivotal axis in the transition from an economic model based on fossil resources to one based on renewable biomass resources with preference for biomass waste streams. Proof of this is the increasing amount of literature reports regarding the rational design and implementation of LDHs and related materials in catalytic processes such as: depolymerization, hydrogenation, selective oxidations, and C–C coupling reactions, among others, where biomass-derived compounds are used. The major aim of this contribution is to situate the most recent advances on the implementation of these types of catalysts into a lignocellulosic-feedstock biorefinery scheme, highlighting the versatility of LDHs and derived materials as multifunctional, tunable, cheap and easy to produce heterogeneous catalysts.

Effect of Ion Exchange Resin Functionality on Catalytic Activity and Leaching of Palladium Nanoparticles in Suzuki Cross-Coupling Reactions

Macroporous ion exchange resin supported palladium nanoparticle (Pd‐NP) catalysts are prepared by an intermatrix synthesis. For the first time, the effect of resin functionality (weak acid, strong acid, strong base) on the NP size, their catalytic activity, and leaching is investigated in the Suzuki cross‐coupling of iodobenzene and phenylboronic acid. Whereas the smallest NPs (1.34 nm) are found in the thiol Ambersep GT74 resin, the sulfonic acid Lewatit K2629 and quaternary amine Lewatit MP500 OH resins resulted in NPs of a similar size (2.42 and 2.59 nm, respectively). Despite their smaller size, the NPs on Ambersep GT74 exhibited the lowest conversion (21.6 %), which is attributed to a too strong coordination of the NPs by the thiol groups. The conversions obtained by using Lewatit K2629 (76.8 %) and Lewatit MP500 OH (94.2 %) were considerably higher, the excellent performance of the latter catalyst being ascribed to the promoting effect of the hydroxyl groups on the transmetallation and reductive elimination steps in Suzuki cross‐coupling. No Pd leaching was observed when using Ambersep GT74 as the support, compared with Pd leaching amounting to 1.1 % and 4.8 % when using Lewatit MP500 OH and Lewatit K2629, respectively. Such low values indicate that ion exchange resins are ideal supports to stabilize the NPs. Particularly, the combination of high conversion and limited leaching on Lewatit MP500 OH opens up new perspectives for catalyzing Suzuki cross‐coupling with a heterogeneous catalyst.

Modeling of capacitance transients of thin-film solar cells: a valuable tool to gain information on perturbing layers or interfaces

Thin-film electronic and photovoltaic devices often comprise, in addition to the anticipated p-n junctions, additional non-ideal ohmic contacts between layers. This may give rise to additional signals in capacitance spectroscopy techniques that are not directly related to defects in the structure. In this paper, we present a fitting algorithm for transient signals arising from such an additional junction. The fitting results are in excellent agreement with the diode characteristics extracted from static measurements on individual components. Finally, the algorithm is applied for determining the barriers associated with anomalous signals reported for selected CuIn1–xGaxSe2 and CdTe solar cells.