Please cite this article as: Rufete-Beneite, M., Román-Martínez, M.C., Linares-Solano, A., Insight into the immobilization of ionic liquid on porous carbons, Carbon (2014), doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon. 2014.06.009This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. The maximum IL that can be loaded depends mainly on the total pore volume of the supports. For comparable pore volumes, the porosity type and the oxygen surface content have no influence on the IL loading. The supported IL fills most of the pores, leaving some blocked porosity. The stability of the supported IL phase (especially important for its subsequent use in catalysis) has been tested in water under general hydrogenation conditions (60 °C and 10 bar H 2 ). In general, leaching is low but it increases with the amount of IL loaded and with the oxidation treatments of the supports.3

Carbon materials of suitable porosity and surface chemistry are promising supports for SILP hybrid catalysts.

In the present manuscript, the preparation of spherical activated carbons (SACs) with suitable adsorption properties and high mechanical strength is reported, taking advantage of the retention of the spherical shape by the raw precursors. An easy procedure (carbonization followed by CO2 activation) has been applied over a selection of three natural seeds, with a well-defined spherical shape and thermal stability: Rhamnus alaternus (RA), Osyris lanceolate (OL), and Canna indica (CI). After the carbonization-activation procedures, RA and CI, maintained their original spherical shapes and integrity, although a reduction in diameter around 48% and 25%, respectively, was observed. The porosity of the resulting SACs could be tuned as function of the activation temperature and time, leading to a spherical activated carbon with surface area up to 1600 m2/g and mechanical strength similar to those of commercial activated carbons.

Monitoring hydrogen consumption has allowed studying the progress of the liquid phase hydrogenation of cyclohexene in toluene with Rh SILP (supported ionic liquid phase) catalysts prepared by the immobilization of the [{RhCl(cod)}2] complex on different carbon materials. An excess of hydrogen consumption with respect to the required amount for cyclohexene hydrogenation was registered and related with the solvent (toluene) hydrogenation. The study carried out led to unraveling the extent of toluene hydrogenation and to determining if the rate of this reaction is affected by the properties of the carbon material used as support. The results revealed that the Rh SILP catalysts we prepared showed acceptable toluene conversion, with 100% selectivity to the total hydrogenated product, and that the effect of the carbon support is the same as for cyclohexene hydrogenation.

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