Preparation and characterization of polystyrene-bounded catalyst

The hydrophobic catalyst is employed for the gas-liquid exchange reaction which is of interet in hydrogen isotope separation process. The support materials for the hydrophobic catalyst are in general polymer, e.g., PTFE or polystyrene. In this study, polystyrene was employed due to its easiness of manufacture and control. For the preparation of polymer beads, the factors influencing the polymer properties comprise degree of crosslinkage, stirring speed, surfactant and its concentration, ratio of organic to aqueous phase volume, fraction of solvent in organic phase excluding monomer, and solvent properties. The platinum was impregnated on the prepared polymer support followed by implementation of hydrogen isotope exchange reaction. The result implied that the polymer prepared with n-amylalcohol as a solvent was the most appropriate, that was induced by comparing the mass transfer coefficients. (Author)