Abstract
Kinetics of phenol oxidation over hypercrosslinked polystyrene (HPS) impregnated with Pt nanoparticles is studied. The size of Pt nanoparticles is determined by transmission electron microscopy. During the first catalytic reaction, the nanoparticle composition changes, leading to higher fraction of the Pt(II) species, while the nanoparticle integrity is preserved. It is observed that compositional changes are due to the interaction with phenol and inclusion of phenol or its oxidation products in the nanoparticle. The results show a pi-pi interaction of the nanoparticle ligands with the HPS pore walls and high stability of the catalysts during repeated usage. The size of the Pt-containing nanoparticles is 3.5 nm, leading to high catalytic activity. It is concluded that the catalytic system studied allows achieving nearly complete decomposition of phenol to non-hazardous compounds.