Chapters authored
Mesoporous Materials Prepared Using Cashew Nut Shell Liquid and Castor Oil as Surfactants
Preparation of useful materials using renewable resources, which are not in competition with food production is of particular importance in the current efforts to replace non-renewable resources. One example of a potential renewable resource, which is attracting the attention of researchers in the preparation of useful materials is cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL). CNSL which is a by-product of cashew processing factories, is a mixture of four potential compounds, namely anacardic acid, cardanol, cardol and 2-methyl cardol. Among other potential applications, cashew nut shell liquid is a good template source for preparation of mesoporous materials. Heterogeneous catalysts prepared using CNSL templates are more efficient than those prepared using the commercially available templates. The pore sizes of mesoporous materials prepared using CNSL templates are large (up to 25 nm) enough to immobilize enzymes. Another renewable resource; castor oil, has also been reported to be a good template source for preparation of mesoporous materials. This chapter therefore is aimed at describing in detail the preparation, characterization and applications of mesoporous materials templated by cashew nut shell liquid and castor oil.
Part of the book: Mesoporous Materials