New Discovery Could Revolutionize Sustainable Chemical Synthesis

Politecnico di Milano researchers have developed a sunlight-activated catalyst that efficiently drives esterification reactions, reducing the use of rare metals and offering more sustainable chemical synthesis. This advancement, featured in Nature Synthesis, holds the potential in conserving resources and diminishing environmental impacts. Credit: Polytechnic University of Milan

A new discovery by the Polytechnic University of Milan opens up new perspectives in the field of sustainable chemical synthesis, promoting innovative solutions that allow chemicals to be created in a more efficient and environmentally friendly way. The findings were recently published in the journal Nature Synthesis.

Using the innovative technique of dispersing isolated atoms on carbon nitride supports, the team developed a catalyst that is more active and selective in esterification reactions. This is an important reaction in which carboxylic acids and bromides are combined to form products used in the manufacture of medicines, food additives, and polymers.

The revolutionary feature of this new catalyst is that it reduces the use of rare metals, a significant step towards conserving critical resources and making processes more sustainable. In addition, the catalyst can be activated by sunlight, eliminating the need for energy-intensive methods. This discovery holds enormous potential in reducing dependence on finite resources and lowering the environmental impact of catalytic processes.

Professor Gianvito Vilé, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at the ‘Giulio Natta’ Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering, coordinated the project, while Mark Bajada, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the Polytechnic University of Milan, is the first author of the paper. The study was conducted in close collaboration with researchers from the University of Milan Bicocca and the University of Turin, and was funded by the European Commission through a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Horizon Europe project recently awarded to the Polytechnic University of Milan (SusPharma).

Reference: “Light-driven C–O coupling of carboxylic acids and alkyl halides over a Ni single-atom catalyst” by Mark A. Bajada, Giovanni Di Liberto, Sergio Tosoni, Vincenzo Ruta, Lorenzo Mino, Nicolò Allasia, Alessandra Sivo, Gianfranco Pacchioni and Gianvito Vilé, 15 June 2023, Nature Synthesis.
DOI: 10.1038/s44160-023-00341-3