Granulated catalytic materials based on chitosan and its derivatives

The method of fabrication of palladium-containing materials based on molded granules of chitosan and its imidazolyl and pyridyl derivatives crosslinked with glutaric aldehyde has been suggested. It has been established by example of the reaction of reduction of p-nitrophenol by sodium boron hydride that the reaction rate increases along with the decrease in the degree of swelling of catalyst support granules. It has been demonstrated using the methods of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, raster electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy that in granules palladium is concentrated in the surface layer with a thickness of 8–10 μm, whereas the profile of the palladium distribution in strongly swelling granules is diffused, and its subsurface content is lower, which results, aside from a dramatic granule collapse, in the decrease in the catalytic activity of such Pd0-containing materials.