Effective isomerization of glucose to fructose by Sn-MFI/MCM-41 composites as Lewis acid catalysts

Abstract Zeolites as heterogenous catalysts have continuously attracted researchers’ interest due to the potentials for industrial biomass conversion. However, combining hierarchical structure and uniformly dispersed active sites in crystalline zeolites catalysts remains challenging. In this study, in-situ hydrothermal synthesis of Sn-MFI/MCM-41 composites were investigated with hexadecyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the structure-directing agent by a stepwise heating. The resulting catalyst was characterized with hexagonal mesochannels, high BET area and crystalline MFI domains. Compared with previously reported tin-containing zeolites, enhanced glucose conversion and fructose selectivity was observed on the resulting Sn-MFI/MCM-41 materials, giving a fructose selectivity of 84%.