Preparation of a composite of sulfated zirconia/metal organic framework and its application in esterification reaction

A porous metal-organic framework (MOF), MIL-101, was synthesized in the presence of sulfated zirconia (SZ) to produce acidic SZ/MIL-101 composites for the first time. The composites were characterized with XRD, nitrogen adsorption, FT-IR, scanning electron microscope, chemical analysis and so on. The composites (SZ/MIL-101s) were successfully applied in a liquid-phase esterification for a high yield of ester. This catalytic result of SZ/MIL-101, compared with that of pure SZ or MIL-101 (showing a negligible yield of ester), suggests that the SZ in the composite is highly active in the acid catalysis probably because of the well-dispersed active species of SZ. Moreover, the esterification is catalyzed in heterogeneous mode as confirmed by negligible esterification after filtration of the catalyst. Finally, microwaves can be efficiently applied both in the synthesis of the composites and the esterification reaction to accelerate the two processes of synthesis and esterification by about 5 times.