Low-Temperature Preparation of a Mesoporous Silica Superbase by Employing the Multifunctionality of a La2O3 Interlayer

A simple and effective approach for preparation of the solid superbasic La2O3-SBA-15-supported KF (KF/La2O3-SBA-15) was developed via a low-temperature strategy. The KF/La2O3-SBA-15 with ordered mesostructure and a high base strength (H-= 27.0) was realized at 350 oC under N2 atmosphere, which breaks the tradition method of thermally induced decomposition of basic metal nitrate-derived species KNO3 under higher temperatures (> 600 oC). The resultant mesoporous basic materials were adopted for the production of 1-methoxy-2-propanol from propylene oxide and methanol. It showed excellent catalytic performance exhibiting 91% conversion of propylene oxide and 93% selectivity to 1-methoxy-2-propanol, which is apparently higher than that over the catalysts without mesoporous silica despite the higher KF contents.