Ashutosh Tiwari is an Associate Professor at the Biosensors and Bioelectronics Centre, Linköping University, Sweden; Editor-in-Chief, Advanced Materials Letters; Secretary General, International Association of Advanced Materials; a materials chemist and also a docent in applied physics at Linköping University, Sweden. He has published more than 350 articles, patents, and conference proceedings in the field of materials science and technology and has edited/authored more than fifteen books on the advanced state-of-the-art of materials science. He is a founding member of the Advanced Materials World Congress and the Indian Materials Congress.Salam Titinchi is a Senior Lecturer and Catalysis Research Group Leader at the Department of Chemistry, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa. His research interests lie in the field of heterogeneous catalysis and coordination chemistry, and entail innovative designs for the synthesis of organic-inorganic materials for catalysis and coordination polymers, organometallic complexes, advanced nano-materials for environmental applications (carbon capture, water purification and green chemistry). He has published more than 50 articles and conference proceedings in the field of catalysis and has international research collaborations with Roskilde and Copenhagen Universities, Denmark, Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany, Missouri and Howard University, USA and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway.

• Preface  xvPart  I: Nanocatalysts - Architecture and Design 11 Environmental Applications of Multifunctional Nanocomposite Catalytic Materials: Issues with Catalyst Combinations 3James A. Sullivan, Orla Keane, Petrica Dulgheru and Niamh O’Callaghan 1.1 Introduction 31.2 Proposed Solutions to the Lean-Burn NOx emission Problems 91.3 Multifunctional Materials to Combine NH3-SCR and NSR Cycles 171.4 Particulate Matter, Formation, Composition and Dangers 191.5 Use of Multifunctional Materials to Combust C(s) and Trap NOx 221.6 Multifunctional Materials in Selective Catalytic Oxidation 231.7 Proposed Tandem Catalysts for “Green” Selective Epoxidation 281.8 Conclusions 29Acknowledgements 30References 302 Chemical Transformation of Molecular Precursor into Well-Defined Nanostructural Functional Framework via Soft Chemical Approach 37Taimur Athar2.1 Introduction 382.2 The Chemistry of Metal Alkoxides 412.3 The Chemistry of Nanomaterials 472.4 Preparation of Monometallic Alkoxides and Its Conversion into Corresponding Metal Oxides 522.5 Techniques used to Characterization of Precursor and Inorganic Material 542.6 Conclusion 60Acknowledgement 60References 613 Graphenes in Heterogeneous Catalysis 69Josep Albero and Hermenegildo Garcia 3.1 Introduction 693.2 Carbocatalysis 893.3 G Materials as Carbocatalysts 923.4 G as Support of Metal NPs 1043.5 Summary and Future Prospects 115References 1164 Gold Nanoparticles-Graphene Composites Material: Synthesis, Characterization and Catalytic Application 121Najrul Hussain, Gitashree Darabdhara and Manash R. Das 4.1 Introduction 1224.2 Synthesis of Au NPs-rGO Composites and Its Characterization 1244.3 Catalytic Application of Au NPs-rGO Composites 1364.4 Future Prospects 138Acknowledgements 138References 139Part II: Organic and Inorganic Catalytic Transformations 1435 Hydrogen Generation from Chemical Hydrides 145Mehmet Sankir, Levent Semiz, Ramis B. Serin, Nurdan D. Sankir and Derek Baker 5.1 Introduction: Overview of Hydrogen 1465.2 Hydrogen Generation 1485.3 Type of Catalysts and Catalyst Morphologies 1595.4 Kinetics and Models 1775.5 Hydrogen Generation for PEMFCs 1835.6 Conclusions 186Acknowledgements 187References 1876 Ring-Opening Polymerization of Lactide 193Alekha Kumar Sutar, Tungabidya Maharana, Anita Routaray and Nibedita Nath 6.1 Introduction 1946.2 Aluminum Metal 1956.3 Importance of Polylactic Acid 1966.4 Ring-Opening Polymerization (ROP) 1976.5 Application of Different Catalytic System in ROP of Lactide 1976.6 Concluding Remarks 220Acknowledgments 221References 2217 Catalytic Performance of Metal Alkoxides 225Mahdi Mirzaee, Mahmood Norouzi, Adonis Amoli and Azam Ashrafian 7.1  Introduction 2257.2 Metal Alkoxides 2267.3 Polymerization Reactions Catalyzed by Metal Alkoxides 2277.4 Reduction Reactions Catalyzed by Metal Alkoxides 2507.5 Oxidation Reactions Catalyzed by Metal Alkoxides 2567.6 Other Miscellaneous Metal Alkoxide Catalysis Reactions 2597.7 Conclusion 266Acknowledgment 267References 2678 Cycloaddition of CO2 and Epoxides over Reusable Solid Catalysts 271Luis F. Bobadilla, Sergio Lima and Atsushi Urakawa8.1 Introduction: CO2 as Raw Material 2718.2 Properties and Applications of Cyclic Carbonates 2738.3 Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates from the Cycloaddition Reaction of CO2 with Epoxides 2758.4 Concluding Remarks and Future Perspectives 306References 307Part III: Functional Catalysis: Fundamentals and Applications 3139 Catalytic Metal-/Bio-composites for Fine Chemicals Derived from Biomass Production 315Madalina Tudorache, Simona M. Coman and Vasile I. Parvulescu8.1 Introduction 3168.2 Metal Composites with Catalytic Activity in Biomass Conversion 3178.3 Catalytic Biocomposites with Heterogeneous Design 3288.4 Conclusions 345References 34510 Homoleptic Metal Carbonyls in Organic Transformation 353Badri Nath Jha, Abhinav Raghuvanshi and Pradeep Mathur10.1 Introduction 35310.2 Cycloaddition 35410.3 Carbonylation 35810.4 Silylation 36310.5 Amidation of Adamantane and Diamantane 36610.6 Reduction of N,N-Dimethylthioformamide 36710.7 Reductive N-Alkylation of Primary Amides with Carbonyl Compounds 36810.8 Synthesis of N-Fused Tricyclic Indoles 36910.9 Cyclopropanation of Alkenes 369Conclusion 378References 37811 Zeolites: Smart Materials for Novel, Efficient, and Versatile Catalysis 385Mayank Pratap Singh, Garima Singh Baghel, Salam J. J. Titinchi and Hanna S. Abbo11.1 Introduction 38511.2 Structures and Properties 38811.3 Synthesis of Zeolites 39311.4 Application of Zeolites in Catalysis 39511.5 Medical Applications of Zeolites 40411.6 Conclusions 406References 40612 Optimizing Zeolitic Catalysis for Environmental Remediation 41112.1 Introduction 41312.2 Structure of Zeolites 41712.3 Categorization and Characterization of Zeolites 41912.4 Properties of Zeolites and Their Effects 42112.5 Effects of Chemical Modification 43412.6 Summary 436References 436

Ashutosh Tiwari is an Associate Professor at the Biosensors and Bioelectronics Centre, Linköping University, Sweden; Editor-in-Chief, Advanced Materials Letters; Secretary General, International Association of Advanced Materials; a materials chemist and also a docent in applied physics at Linköping University, Sweden. He has published more than 350 articles, patents, and conference proceedings in the field of materials science and technology and has edited/authored more than fifteen books on the advanced state-of-the-art of materials science. He is a founding member of the Advanced Materials World Congress and the Indian Materials Congress.Salam Titinchi is a Senior Lecturer and Catalysis Research Group Leader at the Department of Chemistry, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa. His research interests lie in the field of heterogeneous catalysis and coordination chemistry, and entail innovative designs for the synthesis of organic-inorganic materials for catalysis and coordination polymers, organometallic complexes, advanced nano-materials for environmental applications (carbon capture, water purification and green chemistry). He has published more than 50 articles and conference proceedings in the field of catalysis and has international research collaborations with Roskilde and Copenhagen Universities, Denmark, Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany, Missouri and Howard University, USA and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway.

• Preface  xvPart  I: Nanocatalysts - Architecture and Design 11 Environmental Applications of Multifunctional Nanocomposite Catalytic Materials: Issues with Catalyst Combinations 3James A. Sullivan, Orla Keane, Petrica Dulgheru and Niamh O’Callaghan 1.1 Introduction 31.2 Proposed Solutions to the Lean-Burn NOx emission Problems 91.3 Multifunctional Materials to Combine NH3-SCR and NSR Cycles 171.4 Particulate Matter, Formation, Composition and Dangers 191.5 Use of Multifunctional Materials to Combust C(s) and Trap NOx 221.6 Multifunctional Materials in Selective Catalytic Oxidation 231.7 Proposed Tandem Catalysts for “Green” Selective Epoxidation 281.8 Conclusions 29Acknowledgements 30References 302 Chemical Transformation of Molecular Precursor into Well-Defined Nanostructural Functional Framework via Soft Chemical Approach 37Taimur Athar2.1 Introduction 382.2 The Chemistry of Metal Alkoxides 412.3 The Chemistry of Nanomaterials 472.4 Preparation of Monometallic Alkoxides and Its Conversion into Corresponding Metal Oxides 522.5 Techniques used to Characterization of Precursor and Inorganic Material 542.6 Conclusion 60Acknowledgement 60References 613 Graphenes in Heterogeneous Catalysis 69Josep Albero and Hermenegildo Garcia 3.1 Introduction 693.2 Carbocatalysis 893.3 G Materials as Carbocatalysts 923.4 G as Support of Metal NPs 1043.5 Summary and Future Prospects 115References 1164 Gold Nanoparticles-Graphene Composites Material: Synthesis, Characterization and Catalytic Application 121Najrul Hussain, Gitashree Darabdhara and Manash R. Das 4.1 Introduction 1224.2 Synthesis of Au NPs-rGO Composites and Its Characterization 1244.3 Catalytic Application of Au NPs-rGO Composites 1364.4 Future Prospects 138Acknowledgements 138References 139Part II: Organic and Inorganic Catalytic Transformations 1435 Hydrogen Generation from Chemical Hydrides 145Mehmet Sankir, Levent Semiz, Ramis B. Serin, Nurdan D. Sankir and Derek Baker 5.1 Introduction: Overview of Hydrogen 1465.2 Hydrogen Generation 1485.3 Type of Catalysts and Catalyst Morphologies 1595.4 Kinetics and Models 1775.5 Hydrogen Generation for PEMFCs 1835.6 Conclusions 186Acknowledgements 187References 1876 Ring-Opening Polymerization of Lactide 193Alekha Kumar Sutar, Tungabidya Maharana, Anita Routaray and Nibedita Nath 6.1 Introduction 1946.2 Aluminum Metal 1956.3 Importance of Polylactic Acid 1966.4 Ring-Opening Polymerization (ROP) 1976.5 Application of Different Catalytic System in ROP of Lactide 1976.6 Concluding Remarks 220Acknowledgments 221References 2217 Catalytic Performance of Metal Alkoxides 225Mahdi Mirzaee, Mahmood Norouzi, Adonis Amoli and Azam Ashrafian 7.1  Introduction 2257.2 Metal Alkoxides 2267.3 Polymerization Reactions Catalyzed by Metal Alkoxides 2277.4 Reduction Reactions Catalyzed by Metal Alkoxides 2507.5 Oxidation Reactions Catalyzed by Metal Alkoxides 2567.6 Other Miscellaneous Metal Alkoxide Catalysis Reactions 2597.7 Conclusion 266Acknowledgment 267References 2678 Cycloaddition of CO2 and Epoxides over Reusable Solid Catalysts 271Luis F. Bobadilla, Sergio Lima and Atsushi Urakawa8.1 Introduction: CO2 as Raw Material 2718.2 Properties and Applications of Cyclic Carbonates 2738.3 Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates from the Cycloaddition Reaction of CO2 with Epoxides 2758.4 Concluding Remarks and Future Perspectives 306References 307Part III: Functional Catalysis: Fundamentals and Applications 3139 Catalytic Metal-/Bio-composites for Fine Chemicals Derived from Biomass Production 315Madalina Tudorache, Simona M. Coman and Vasile I. Parvulescu8.1 Introduction 3168.2 Metal Composites with Catalytic Activity in Biomass Conversion 3178.3 Catalytic Biocomposites with Heterogeneous Design 3288.4 Conclusions 345References 34510 Homoleptic Metal Carbonyls in Organic Transformation 353Badri Nath Jha, Abhinav Raghuvanshi and Pradeep Mathur10.1 Introduction 35310.2 Cycloaddition 35410.3 Carbonylation 35810.4 Silylation 36310.5 Amidation of Adamantane and Diamantane 36610.6 Reduction of N,N-Dimethylthioformamide 36710.7 Reductive N-Alkylation of Primary Amides with Carbonyl Compounds 36810.8 Synthesis of N-Fused Tricyclic Indoles 36910.9 Cyclopropanation of Alkenes 369Conclusion 378References 37811 Zeolites: Smart Materials for Novel, Efficient, and Versatile Catalysis 385Mayank Pratap Singh, Garima Singh Baghel, Salam J. J. Titinchi and Hanna S. Abbo11.1 Introduction 38511.2 Structures and Properties 38811.3 Synthesis of Zeolites 39311.4 Application of Zeolites in Catalysis 39511.5 Medical Applications of Zeolites 40411.6 Conclusions 406References 40612 Optimizing Zeolitic Catalysis for Environmental Remediation 41112.1 Introduction 41312.2 Structure of Zeolites 41712.3 Categorization and Characterization of Zeolites 41912.4 Properties of Zeolites and Their Effects 42112.5 Effects of Chemical Modification 43412.6 Summary 436References 436

Ashutosh Tiwari is an Associate Professor at the Biosensors and Bioelectronics Centre, Linköping University, Sweden; Editor-in-Chief, Advanced Materials Letters; Secretary General, International Association of Advanced Materials; a materials chemist and also a docent in applied physics at Linköping University, Sweden. He has published more than 350 articles, patents, and conference proceedings in the field of materials science and technology and has edited/authored more than fifteen books on the advanced state-of-the-art of materials science. He is a founding member of the Advanced Materials World Congress and the Indian Materials Congress.Salam Titinchi is a Senior Lecturer and Catalysis Research Group Leader at the Department of Chemistry, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa. His research interests lie in the field of heterogeneous catalysis and coordination chemistry, and entail innovative designs for the synthesis of organic-inorganic materials for catalysis and coordination polymers, organometallic complexes, advanced nano-materials for environmental applications (carbon capture, water purification and green chemistry). He has published more than 50 articles and conference proceedings in the field of catalysis and has international research collaborations with Roskilde and Copenhagen Universities, Denmark, Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany, Missouri and Howard University, USA and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway.

• Preface  xvPart  I: Nanocatalysts - Architecture and Design 11 Environmental Applications of Multifunctional Nanocomposite Catalytic Materials: Issues with Catalyst Combinations 3James A. Sullivan, Orla Keane, Petrica Dulgheru and Niamh O’Callaghan 1.1 Introduction 31.2 Proposed Solutions to the Lean-Burn NOx emission Problems 91.3 Multifunctional Materials to Combine NH3-SCR and NSR Cycles 171.4 Particulate Matter, Formation, Composition and Dangers 191.5 Use of Multifunctional Materials to Combust C(s) and Trap NOx 221.6 Multifunctional Materials in Selective Catalytic Oxidation 231.7 Proposed Tandem Catalysts for “Green” Selective Epoxidation 281.8 Conclusions 29Acknowledgements 30References 302 Chemical Transformation of Molecular Precursor into Well-Defined Nanostructural Functional Framework via Soft Chemical Approach 37Taimur Athar2.1 Introduction 382.2 The Chemistry of Metal Alkoxides 412.3 The Chemistry of Nanomaterials 472.4 Preparation of Monometallic Alkoxides and Its Conversion into Corresponding Metal Oxides 522.5 Techniques used to Characterization of Precursor and Inorganic Material 542.6 Conclusion 60Acknowledgement 60References 613 Graphenes in Heterogeneous Catalysis 69Josep Albero and Hermenegildo Garcia 3.1 Introduction 693.2 Carbocatalysis 893.3 G Materials as Carbocatalysts 923.4 G as Support of Metal NPs 1043.5 Summary and Future Prospects 115References 1164 Gold Nanoparticles-Graphene Composites Material: Synthesis, Characterization and Catalytic Application 121Najrul Hussain, Gitashree Darabdhara and Manash R. Das 4.1 Introduction 1224.2 Synthesis of Au NPs-rGO Composites and Its Characterization 1244.3 Catalytic Application of Au NPs-rGO Composites 1364.4 Future Prospects 138Acknowledgements 138References 139Part II: Organic and Inorganic Catalytic Transformations 1435 Hydrogen Generation from Chemical Hydrides 145Mehmet Sankir, Levent Semiz, Ramis B. Serin, Nurdan D. Sankir and Derek Baker 5.1 Introduction: Overview of Hydrogen 1465.2 Hydrogen Generation 1485.3 Type of Catalysts and Catalyst Morphologies 1595.4 Kinetics and Models 1775.5 Hydrogen Generation for PEMFCs 1835.6 Conclusions 186Acknowledgements 187References 1876 Ring-Opening Polymerization of Lactide 193Alekha Kumar Sutar, Tungabidya Maharana, Anita Routaray and Nibedita Nath 6.1 Introduction 1946.2 Aluminum Metal 1956.3 Importance of Polylactic Acid 1966.4 Ring-Opening Polymerization (ROP) 1976.5 Application of Different Catalytic System in ROP of Lactide 1976.6 Concluding Remarks 220Acknowledgments 221References 2217 Catalytic Performance of Metal Alkoxides 225Mahdi Mirzaee, Mahmood Norouzi, Adonis Amoli and Azam Ashrafian 7.1  Introduction 2257.2 Metal Alkoxides 2267.3 Polymerization Reactions Catalyzed by Metal Alkoxides 2277.4 Reduction Reactions Catalyzed by Metal Alkoxides 2507.5 Oxidation Reactions Catalyzed by Metal Alkoxides 2567.6 Other Miscellaneous Metal Alkoxide Catalysis Reactions 2597.7 Conclusion 266Acknowledgment 267References 2678 Cycloaddition of CO2 and Epoxides over Reusable Solid Catalysts 271Luis F. Bobadilla, Sergio Lima and Atsushi Urakawa8.1 Introduction: CO2 as Raw Material 2718.2 Properties and Applications of Cyclic Carbonates 2738.3 Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates from the Cycloaddition Reaction of CO2 with Epoxides 2758.4 Concluding Remarks and Future Perspectives 306References 307Part III: Functional Catalysis: Fundamentals and Applications 3139 Catalytic Metal-/Bio-composites for Fine Chemicals Derived from Biomass Production 315Madalina Tudorache, Simona M. Coman and Vasile I. Parvulescu8.1 Introduction 3168.2 Metal Composites with Catalytic Activity in Biomass Conversion 3178.3 Catalytic Biocomposites with Heterogeneous Design 3288.4 Conclusions 345References 34510 Homoleptic Metal Carbonyls in Organic Transformation 353Badri Nath Jha, Abhinav Raghuvanshi and Pradeep Mathur10.1 Introduction 35310.2 Cycloaddition 35410.3 Carbonylation 35810.4 Silylation 36310.5 Amidation of Adamantane and Diamantane 36610.6 Reduction of N,N-Dimethylthioformamide 36710.7 Reductive N-Alkylation of Primary Amides with Carbonyl Compounds 36810.8 Synthesis of N-Fused Tricyclic Indoles 36910.9 Cyclopropanation of Alkenes 369Conclusion 378References 37811 Zeolites: Smart Materials for Novel, Efficient, and Versatile Catalysis 385Mayank Pratap Singh, Garima Singh Baghel, Salam J. J. Titinchi and Hanna S. Abbo11.1 Introduction 38511.2 Structures and Properties 38811.3 Synthesis of Zeolites 39311.4 Application of Zeolites in Catalysis 39511.5 Medical Applications of Zeolites 40411.6 Conclusions 406References 40612 Optimizing Zeolitic Catalysis for Environmental Remediation 41112.1 Introduction 41312.2 Structure of Zeolites 41712.3 Categorization and Characterization of Zeolites 41912.4 Properties of Zeolites and Their Effects 42112.5 Effects of Chemical Modification 43412.6 Summary 436References 436