Microwave hydrothermal in situ synthesis of highly dispersed metal-organic framework@SiC as a promising structured catalyst

Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials with loaded catalysts have recently garnered substantial interest in the catalysis field. However, the catalytic performance of MOF catalysts is hindered by particle aggregation. This study introduces a microwave-assisted anchoring strategy to improve the dispersion of UIO-66-NH 2 on SiC surfaces. The dispersion can be effectively controlled by varying the SiC carrier content. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses show that as the SiC content increases from 2% to 10%, MOFs exhibit a more dispersed distribution on the surface. This is exemplified in the esterification reaction between acetic acid and cyclohexene , where a higher MOF dispersion leads to a conversion rate boost from 70% to 75%. Numerical simulations reveal that microwave's selective heating property plays a crucial role in achieving this enhanced dispersion. This work contributes a systematic approach to enhance MOF dispersion and advances the development of structured catalysts based on MOFs.