Title: Development of porous-organic-polymer driven cobalt phosphide hybrid nanosheet: A smart and durable material for bio-fuel upgradation via hydro-deoxygenation pathway

Biography:

I have done Master of Science (MSc) in Chemistry from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, (IIT-KGP) the one of the prestigious and premiere academic organization in India. Currently, I am pursuing PhD from CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) under the supervision of Dr. John Mondal, Scientst at Catalysis & Fine Chemicals (C&FC) division. I have been working on “Development of Robust Porous Nanoarchitecture as Heterogeneous Catalyst for Energy and Environmental application.” I have already published in 7 publications (89 citations with h-index 6) in International Journals of well repute.

Abstract

Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is a promising route for the upgrading of bio-oils to eco-friendly biofuel produced from lignocellulose.¹ Herein, we report the sequential synthesis of a hybrid nanocatalyst Co_xP@POP, where substoichiometric Co_xP nanoparticles are distributed in a porous organic polymer (POP) via solid-state phosphidation of the Co₃O₄@POP nanohybrid system. We also explored the catalytic activity of the above two nanohybrids toward the HDO of vanillin, a typical compound of lignin-derived bio-oil to 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol, which is a promising future biofuel. The Co_xP@POP exhibited superior catalytic activity and selectivity toward desired product with improved stability compared to the Co₃O₄@POP. Based on advanced sample characterization results, the extraordinary selectivity of Co_xP@POP is attributed to the strong interaction of the cation of the Co_xP nanoparticle with the POP matrix and the consequent modifications of the electronic states. Through attenuated total reflectance-infrared spectroscopy, we have also observed different interaction strengths between vanillin and the two catalysts. The decreased catalytic activity of Co₃O₄@POP compared to Co_xP@POP catalyst could be attributed to the stronger adsorption of vanillin over the Co₃O₄@POP catalyst. Also from kinetic investigation, it is clearly demonstrated that the Co₃O₄@POP has higher activation energy barrier than the Co_xP@POP, which also reflects to the reduction of the overall efficiency of the Co₃O₄@POP catalyst. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first approach in POP-encapsulated cobalt phosphide catalyst synthesis and comprehensive study in establishing the structure-activity relationship in significant step-forwarding in promoting biomass refining.