Sulfonated ordered mesoporous polymer was simply prepared by co-mixing p-formaldehyde, p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TsOH) and sulfuric acid. SBA-15 and/or MCM-48 mesoporous silicas were used as templates. High specific surface area and acid density of the novel solid acids were obtained in the range 900-1400 m² g-1 and of 4.9 mmol g-1, respectively. Catalysts prepared with SBA-15 template presented higher pore diameter, and the use of the MCM-48 template is due to higher specific surface area. The catalytic activities of the solid acids were studied in oleic acid esterification reaction. The initial rates of the solid acids with templates of SBA-15 and MCM-48 were 80-93 and 62-80 µmol min-1, respectively. Catalyst with higher pore diameter showed the higher initial rate of esterification reaction and higher conversion efficiency of oleic acid. Consequently, the pore diameter played a crucial role in catalytic activity.
mesoporous polymer; esterification; p-toluenesulfonic acid; SBA-15; MCM-48; solid acid
