Fe3+ and chlorotrimethylsilane modified NaY catalysts display enhanced activity and durability for acetalization of glycerol to solketal

Solketal is known as a promising non-BPA plasticizer. However, fast and robust synthesis of solketal from bio-oxygenates remains a grand challenge, as strong surface polarization often deactivates acidic catalysts. We proposed and validated a dual designing strategy, involving (1) Fe3+ modified Bronsted acidity and (2) chlorotrimethylsilane (CTS) altered hydrophilicity for enhanced activity and stability of NaY catalysts. As one of the key findings, Fe3+ exchanged NaYs display an unusual shortened Si-OH bond and electronically reconfigured Fe3+ sites for a 4-fold activity enhancement. Furthermore, CTS modified FeY materials further alleviate surface passivation of glycerol and water, leading to an 18-fold activity improvement and better durability for acetalization of glycerol. CTS modified FeY catalysts display remarkable stability against varies impurity molecules. The dual modification methodology provides useful information on rational design of durable catalysts for synthesis of various other non-BPA derivatives.