Efficient conversion of vinyltrimethoxysilane to vinyltris(β-methoxyethoxy)silane through economic γ-Al2O3 loaded with K2CO3

A series of cost-effective (X) K 2 CO 3 /γAl 2 O 3 catalysts for efficient conversion of vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMOS) to vinyltris(β-methoxyethoxy)silane (VTMOEOS) were synthesized. The microstructure and active site of the synthesized catalysts were analyzed by BET, XRD, FT-IR, SEM, and CO 2 -TPD. The results showed that the synthesized catalysts formed K–O–Al strong basic sites while maintaining the original structure, which greatly improved the basic strength of the catalysts. It was found that the 60%K 2 CO 3 /γAl 2 O 3 possessed the highest the catalytic activity under the activation temperature of 600 °C by optimizing the preparation conditions of K 2 CO 3 /γAl 2 O 3 . Moreover, the optimal reaction process conditions were also determined by optimizing the experimental reaction temperature, reaction time, catalyst dosage, and reactant molar ratio under (60%, 600 °C) K 2 CO 3 /γAl 2 O 3 catalysis. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the conversion of VTMOS was 92.5% and the yield of VTMOEOS was 65%. Meanwhile, the 60%K 2 CO 3 /γAl 2 O 3 catalyst was satisfactorily reusable and maintained a high catalytic activity after four cycles of catalytic reactions.