Probing the use of Ag modified SBA-15 as ethylene scavenger

MARÍA S. LEGNOVERDE; ANDREA M. PEREYRA; MARIO S. MORENO; JORGE D. MONZÓN; MAXIMILIANO R. GONZÁLEZ; NICOLA GARGIULO; ANTONIO PELUSO; PAOLO APREA; DOMENICO CAPUTO; ELENA I. BASALDELLA

Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology

Springer

Año: 2021 vol. 100 p. 352 - 359

0928-0707

Controlling the accumulation of ethylene is importantin fruit and vegetable packaging. In this work, the potential use ofAg-containing SBA-15 mesoporous silica adsorbent as ethylene scavenger isstudied. The adsorption capacity and affinity towards this gas are probing as afunction of Ag content and Ag nano-species present in the materials that weremodified by successive thermal treatments at 200 °C and 350 °C in N2and air atmospheres. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction,UV-visible, high-resolution electron microscopy and adsorption experiments. Theresults indicated that the treatment at 200 °C induced effective Ag+dispersion and generated Ag0 nanoparticles and that a secondannealing favored the formation of silver oxide nanoparticles and thereordering of silver and adsorption sites inside the SBA structure. The bestoverall ethylene adsorption capacity was obtained with the lower Ag content andthermal treatment at 200 °C without further annealing. The increase in thesilver loading produced a decrease of ethylene adsorption by blocking of activesites and inhibiting π-interaction. Interestingly, the annealing at 350 °C inair induced a structural rearrangement in the adsorption sites that increasedboth their adsorption capacity and affinity towards ethylene, particularly atthe pressures of interest for applications as scavenger.