Tailoring the surface wettability of mesoporous silica for selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde to hydrocinnamaldehyde in a Pickering emulsion system

The development of facile and reliable protocols for the functionalization of mesoporous silica particles is an essential aspect in the field of nanomaterials. We reported the use of co-condensation to methodically tune the surface wettability of mesoporous silica particles, using a mixture of (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane, tetraethyl orthosilicate and methyltrimethoxysilane. Pd nanoparticles were deposited on the series of interfacial active mesoporous silica particles using the wet impregnation method, and the as-synthesized catalysts were used as stabilizers and efficient catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde in the Pickering emulsion system under static conditions. The catalytic activity of cinnamaldehyde was greatly influenced by surface wettability and concentration of the mesoporous structured catalysts. Interestingly, the PE system shows above 90% selectivity to HCAL over Pd/MS-MAP₁₅ catalyst, moreover, the Pd/MS-MAP₁₅ is highly recyclable after eight consecutive reaction runs. This is a significant advancement in material science and interfacial catalysis with industrial relevance.