Tuneable sulfonated hypercrosslinked polymers for selective esterification: insights into performance and stability

Abstract

We report sulfonated hypercrosslinked polymers (SHCPs) as heterogeneous catalysts for the selective esterification of hexanoic acid with benzyl alcohol. The SHCPs demonstrate tuneable catalytic activity and selectivity, outperforming conventional acid catalysts. We also explore detrimental structural changes over multiple cycles, providing insights for optimising long-term catalyst performance.