Cotton Fabric-Supported Cationic Acrylate Polymer as an Efficient and Recyclable Catalyst for Williamson Ether Synthesis Reaction in Solid-Liquid-Liquid Phase Transfer Catalysis System.

Cotton-based catalytic fabric (CCF) was prepared by the simple padding-drying method with the copolymer of five functional monomers as the modifier and was applied in the solid-liquid-liquid phase-transfer catalysis (SLL-PTC) system. Effects of the structure of the function monomer, the content of the cation, and the loading amount on the catalytic activity of CCF were investigated. The lipophilicity, disperse extent of cationic center, and the accessory to the ion for CCF were influenced by the structure and content of the function monomer. The organic phase was adsorbed on the surface of the catalytic fabric, and the novel catalytic cycle in the PTC system was initiated. The anion in the aqueous phase diffuses through the interfacial region to the site for ion exchange. Bond-forming reaction was initiated in the interfacial region between the organic phase on the fabric and the aqueous phase. The conversion rate for Williamson ether synthesis reaction reached 92%, and CCF could be reused five times in this SLL-PTC system.