Chitosan as Support Material for Metal‐Organic Framework based Catalysts

Turning waste into valuable products is one of the main challenges of the chemical industry. In this work, chitosan (CS), an abundant, low‐cost, and non‐toxic biopolymer derived from chitin, was reshaped into beads of ~3 mm. Their suitability as a support material for active phase catalyst materials was tested for a zirconium‐based Metal‐Organic Framework (MOF) with incorporated Pt, namely UiO‐67‐Pt. Its incorporation was investigated via two procedures: a one‐pot synthesis (OPS) and a post‐synthetic functionalization (PSF) synthesis method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show good UiO‐67‐Pt dispersion throughout the CS beads for the one‐pot synthesized material (UiO‐67‐Pt‐OPS@CS). However, this uniform dispersion was not observed for the post‐synthetically functionalized material (UiO‐67‐Pt‐PSF@CS). The success of the implementation of UiO‐67‐Pt was evaluated with ultraviolet‐visible and infrared spectroscopy for both composite materials. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) reveals higher thermal stabilities for UiO‐67‐Pt‐OPS@CS composite beads in comparison to pure CS beads, but not for UiO‐67‐Pt‐PSF@CS. The study provides valuable insights into the potential of chitosan as a green, bead‐shaped support material for MOFs, offering flexibility in their incorporation through different synthesis routes. It further contributes to the broader goal of the sustainable and eco‐friendly design of a new generation of catalysts made from waste materials, which will be the topic of future studies. Highly porous chitosan‐based carriers for a zirconium‐based metal‐organic framework as an active phase were synthesized via two different methods, a one‐pot synthesis route, and a post‐synthetic functionalization route. The resulting composite materials were compared in their structure, composition, and stability.