Academic literature on the topic 'Sol-immobilization'

A set of supports were screened for the immobilization of a partially purified extract of β-glucosidase from Aspergillus sp. These supports, namely, Eupergit, Amberlite, alginate, gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol- (PVA-) based matrices (Lentikats), and sol-gel, have proved effective for the implementation of some other enzyme-based processes. The initial criterion for selection of promising supports prior to further characterization relied on the retention of the catalytic activity following immobilization. Based on such criterion, where immobilization in sol-gel and in Lentikats outmatched the remaining approaches, those two systems were further characterized. Immobilization did not alter the pH/activity profile, whereas the temperature/activity profile was improved when sol-gel support was assayed. Both thermal and pH stability were improved as a result of immobilization. An increase in the apparent KM (Michaelis constant) was observed following immobilization, suggesting diffusion limitations.

Dystrophin-deficient skeletal muscles of mdx mice undergo their first rounds of degeneration-regeneration at the age of 14–28 days. This feature is thought to result from an increase in motor activity at weaning. In this study, we hypothesize that if the muscle is prevented from contracting, it will avoid the degenerative changes that normally occur. For this purpose, we developed a procedure of mechanical hindlimb immobilization in 3-wk-old mice to restrain soleus (Sol) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles in the stretched or shortened position. After a 14-day period of immobilization, the striking feature was the low percentage of regenerated (centronucleated) myofibers in Sol and EDL muscles, regardless of the length at which they were fixed, compared with those on the contralateral side (stretched Sol: 8.4 ± 6.5 vs. 46.6 ± 10.3%, P = 0.0008; shortened Sol: 1.2 ± 1.6 vs. 50.4 ± 16.4%, P = 0.0008; stretched EDL: 05 ± 0.5 vs. 32.9 ± 17.5%, P = 0.002; shortened EDL: 3.3 ± 3.1 vs. 34.7 ± 11.1%, P = 0.002). Total numbers of myofibers did not change with immobilization. This study shows that limb immobilization prevents the occurrence of the first round of myofiber necrosis in mdx mice and suggests that muscle contractions play a role in the skeletal muscle degeneration of dystrophin-deficient mdx mouse muscles.

Amyloglucosidase (AMG) from Aspergillus niger was encapsulated in various matrices derived from tetraethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, phenyltriethoxysilane and vinyltriacetoxysilane by different methods of immobilization. The immobilized enzyme was prepared by entrapment in two steps, in one-step and entrapment/deposition, respectively. The activities of the immobilized AMG were assayed and compared with that of the native enzyme. The effects of the organosilaneprecursors and their molar ratios, the immobilization method, the inorganic support (white ceramic, red ceramic, purolite, alumina, TiO2, celite, zeolite) and enzyme loading upon the immobilized enzyme activity were tested. The efficiency of the sol-gel biocomposites can be improved through combination of the fundamental immobilization techniques and selection of the precursors.

In this paper, using tetrabutyl titanate as source, H2O2(30%) as solvent, synthesis of titanium dioxide sol was achieved by sol-gel method. A transparent sol aging in air 30min, titanium dioxide films were prepared by using spin coating method. The photodegradation capability of 4-chlorophenol has been enhanced by using immobilized TiO2 particles, where the titanium sol synthesized by a sol-gel method was used as the binder for the immobilization. Optimal conditions of TiO2film, 4-chlorophenol concentration, solution pH, and UV irradiation intensity have been found to enhance the photodegradation efficiency.

The process of final disposal of industrial wastewater is an important issue to avoid contamination. Photocatalyst technology can be a solution to waste control by degrading organic pollutants. The synthesis process of TiO2 catalyst immobilized with supporting materials has been proven more efficient in photocatalyst activation. This gives a high UV adsorption power and does not require further handling of the final purification process because it does not produce a catalyst suspension. Immobilization methods are simplest but still produce high efficiency, namely, the thermal milling method and the sol-gel method. Both methods can produce 97% efficiency. Immobilization using thermal milling can take quickly and only through one step but requires a long time in the degradation process. Besides, immobilization using the sol-gel method requires several steps, but the process of degradation is fast. The method used must be by the type of support material, the pollutants to be degraded, and the operating system like coating time. This paper focuses on the immobilization method suitable to support materials to maximize the degradation process.

A free lipase is one of the biocatalysts used for industrial applications, especially to catalyze the hydrolysis of palm oil. However, it is unstable in an extreme condition so it is easy to denature. Immobilization of lipase improve the enzyme's stability since the cage of the immobilization matrix around the lipase can minimalize denaturation. Silica gel is the most chosen matrix because of its high thermal stability and inertness. Lipase was immobilized in silica gel extracted from rice husk ash. Silica gel was prepared in a sodium silicate solution. Sol-gel process occurred when phosphoric acid was added into the sodium silicate solution until it reached a pH of 7. The immobilization process was initiated by reacting lipase in Phosphate Buffer Solution (PBS) added to the sol solution to produce hydrogel. Hydrogel was got into the dry process to form xerogel. The activity assay was conducted in the hydrolysis reaction by titrimetric method. The immobilized lipase resulted had an immobilization percentage of 67.71% and reusability for 6 cycles.

This paper explores the sol-gel titanium dioxide the conditions of experiments to determine the best conditions. The photodegradation capability of alizarin red has been enhanced by using immobilized TiO2 particles, where the titanium sol synthesized by a sol-gel method was used as the binder for the immobilization. Optimal conditions of TiO2 film, alizarin red concentration, solution pH, and UV irradiation intensity have been found to enhance the photodegradation efficiency.

Much attention has been paid to immobilization of enzymes to improve enzyme stability and permit its reuse. Glucose oxidase entrapment in different kinds of silica sol-gel matrices was investigated. The enzyme showed stable activity for 11 uses in the sol-gel with tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) as precursor, and at least 7 uses in the sol-gel induced electrochemically with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as precursor. The sol-gel made with TEOS as precursor and HCl as catalyst showed stability in enzyme activity for 11 uses but the activity decreases on the same sol-gel when modified with silica nanoparticles. Factors such as optimal incubation time of glucose solution, the reproducibility between different sol-gels, and the storage time were investigated. Good linearity and analytical results on real samples were obtained. The detection method was based on a colorimetric method for determining the concentration of hydrogen peroxide produced from the oxidation reaction of glucose.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Nebraska--Lincoln, 2004.
PDF text: [2] leaves abstract, vii, 156 leaves dissertation : ill. (some col.). Site viewed on Jan. 25, 2005. Includes bibliographical references.

Im Bereich der Umwelttechnik bieten sich vielversprechende Einsatzmöglichkeiten für Sol-Gel-immobilisierte Mikroorganismen sowohl für die Entfernung als auch für die Detektion von Schadstoffen an. Für einen effizienten Einsatz sind zum einen eine hohe Langzeitaktivität und -vitalität der eingebetteten Zellen als auch eine gute Lagerbeständigkeit wichtig. Neben einer hohen Makroporosität, die sowohl für einen guten Stoffaustausch mit der Umgebung sorgt sowie den Zellen Raum für Zellteilung bietet, ist vor allem auch die Aufrechterhaltung der Feuchtigkeit in der Immobilisierungsmatrix während der Immobilisierung, der Lagerung und des Einsatzes wichtig. Besonders vorteilhaft hat sich hier eine Immobilisierung in dünnen SiO2-Schichten auf Blähtonbruchstücken erwiesen, da dieses Trägermaterial neben einer hohen Makroporosität auch ein hohes Wasserspeichervermögen besitzt. Immobilisiert in dünnen SiO2-Schichten auf Blähton konnten diverse Schadstoff-abbauende Mikroorganismen mehrere Monate auch außerhalb eines flüssigen Mediums unter feuchten Bedingungen gelagert werden, ohne dass ihre Abbauleistung erheblich sank. Ein weiteres Verfahren um Immobilisierungsmaterialien mit überdurchschnittlich hoher Makroporosität bei gleichzeitig hoher Stabilität zu erzeugen, stellt das Freeze-Gelation Verfahren dar. Über einen Gefriertrocknungsschritt können hier zudem die zu immobilisierenden Zellen in eine trocken lagerfähige Form überführt werden, wodurch Handhabung sowie Lagerung und Transport vereinfacht werden. Außerdem kann durch Wahl der Einfrierbedingungen und Zugabe von Füllstoffen zu dem SiO2-Sol entscheidend die Porenstruktur der Immobilisierungsmatrix beeinflusst und den Anforderungen entsprechend eingestellt werden. Allerdings zeigte sich, dass diese Methode nicht für alle Mikroorganismen gleichermaßen geeignet ist. Trotz diverser kryoprotektiver Maßnahmen konnte keine ausreichende Überlebensrate für sensible Stämme wie Aquincola tertiaricarbonis L108 erzielt werden. Neben der Erhöhung der Makroporosität der SiO2-Matrix wurde versucht das Sol-Gel-Verfahren mit einem flexiblen organischen Polymer (Na-Alginat) zu kombinieren, um eine Immobilisierungsmatrix mit einem weichen Kern zu erzeugen, der Zellteilung zulässt. Als zusätzlicher Vorteil des entwickelten Alginat/SiO2-Hybridmaterials erwies sich, dass dieses auch auf einfache Weise mittels Drucktechniken in definierten Spots abgelegt werden kann und so die Zellen in Arrays abgelegt werden können. Das Potential dieser Methodik für die Entwicklung von Ganzzellsensoren wurde am Beispiel der Grünalge Chlorella vulgaris als Modell-Sensorzelle demonstriert und für die Detektion von Atrazin als Modellsubstanz eingesetzt.

O presente projeto teve como objetivo selecionar componentes orgânicos para obtenção de compósitos híbridos pela técnica sol-gel utilizando como precursor tetraetilortossilicato (TEOS) visando avaliar o efeito do agente orgânico na evolução do sol para gel e nas propriedades finais dos suportes para imobilizar a lipase microbiana de Burkholderia cepacia. Foram testados três compostos orgânicos ?-ciclodextrina (?CD), carboximetilcelulose (CMC) e hidroxietilcelulose (HEC) e os resultados obtidos foram comparados com o comportamento já estabelecido para o polivinilálcool (PVA), tanto em termos morfológicos como atividade catalítica em meio aquoso (hidrólise de triacilgliceróis) e meio orgânico (síntese de éster de cadeia curta e longa). A motivação do estudo está diretamente relacionada com a elevada afinidade do suporte híbrido SiO2-PVA pelo glicerol, sendo uma das limitações do uso deste suporte para imobilizar lipases com finalidade de aplicação em reações de transesterificação conduzidas em fluxo contínuo. As características morfológicas e estruturais dos suportes resultantes foram determinadas empregando técnicas convencionais, indicando similaridade das propriedades estruturais, fornecendo suportes com áreas superficiais entre 361,6 a 529,7 m2 g-1 e morfologia amorfa. A diferença marcante entre os suportes foi verificada quanto a capacidade de adsorção do subproduto da reação de transesterificação, sendo verificado que a substituição do polivinilálcool por ?-ciclodextrina reduziu em até 50% a habilidade do suporte hibrido em absorver glicerol. Os componentes derivados de celulose apresentaram resultados similares aos obtidos com o polivinilálcool. Em termos de afinidade pelo glicerol os resultados obtidos permitiram a classificação dos suportes híbridos na seguinte ordem crescente: SiO2-CMC > SiO2-PVA > SiO2-HEC > SiO2- ?CD. Quanto a afinidade dos suportes para imobilização da lipase de B. cepacia, os valores de atividade hidrolítica dos derivados imobilizados, nas condições adotadas, revelaram que todos os suportes tiveram o mesmo tipo de interação com a enzima resultando em valores de recuperação de atividade na faixa de 56 - 63%, valores próximos aos normalmente obtidos pela matriz de SiO2-PVA (68%). Os parâmetros cinéticos (Km e Vmax) determinados indicaram que a lipase imobilizada nos diferentes tipos de suporte, apresentou afinidade semelhante pelo substrato azeite de oliva. Os valores determinados de Km e Vmax da lipase de B. cepacia na forma livre (Km = 410 mM e Vmax =12391 Ug-1) mostraram que independente do suporte, a imobilização reduziu aproximadamente 60% da afinidade da enzima pelo substrato. Em meio orgânico, tanto as reações de esterificação como de transesterificação mediadas pelos derivados imobilizados apresentaram desempenho similar com atividade de esterificação da ordem de 118 ?M.g-1min-1 e rendimentos de formação de ésteres etílicos da ordem de 98,30%. De uma forma geral, os resultados obtidos foram promissores e permitiram selecionar o composto orgânico ?CD para substituir com vantagens o polivinilálcool no preparo de matrizes hibridas para imobilização da enzima lipase. O menor poder hidrofílico desta matriz em relação às outras matrizes testadas pode ser creditado a estrutura cíclica da ?CD que reduziu a capacidade do suporte SiO2-?CD em adsorver glicerol, principal subproduto da reação de transesterificação. Testes em processos conduzidos em fluxo contínuo são sugeridos para comprovação da eficiência dessa matriz.
The objective of this work was to select organic compounds for preparing hybrid composites by the sol-gel technique using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as precursor aiming at evaluating the effect of the organic agent in the transformation of the sol into gel and in the final properties of the matrices for immobilizing lipase from Burkholderia cepacia. Three organic components ?-cyclodextrin (?CD), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) were tested. The organic component polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was used as control taking into consideration its morphological properties and the catalytic activity of the immobilized derivative in aqueous medium (triacylglycerols hydrolysis) and organic medium (synthesis of short and long chain esters). The motivation of this work was directly related with the high affinity of the matrix polysiloxane-polyvinyl alcohol (SiO2- PVA) by the glycerol, limiting the use of the immobilized derivative in the transesterification reactions running on a continuous flow. The morphological and structure properties of the resulting matrices was determined using conventional techniques, showing similar structure properties, with surface area values between 361.6 and 529.7 m2g-1 and amorphous morphology. The main difference among the matrices were observed regarding their ability to adsorb glycerol, the main byproduct of the transesterification reaction. It was verify that the replacement of the polyvinyl alcohol by ?-cyclodextrin reduced in about 50% the hybrid composite capacity to adsorb glycerol. On the other hand, the cellulose components showed similar results as the polyvinyl alcohol. Considering as an evaluated parameter the glycerol affinity, the achieved results allowed classifying the hybrid composites as follows: SiO2- CMC > SiO2-PVA > SiO2-HEC > SiO2-?CD. The performance of the hybrid composites for immobilizing lipase from B. cepacia, through the hydrolytic activity reveal that all the matrices show the same interaction with the lipase, resulting in activity recovered values between 56-63%, which is close to the value attained by SiO2-PVA matrix (68%). The kinetic parameters (Km and Vmax) values determined for free lipase (Km = 410 and Vmax = 12391 Ug-1), showed that independely of the immobilization support the affinity of the enzyme for the substrate was reduced by 60%. In organic medium, all the immobilized derivatives showed similar behavior on both esterification and transesterification reactions attaining esterification activity of 118 ?M.g-1min-1 and ethyl ester yields of 98.30%. Overall, the results were promising and allowed selecting the organic component ?CD to replace, with advantages, the use of PVA for preparing hybrid composites. The lower hydrophilic capacity of this matrix compared with the others matrices can be explained by the cyclic structure of the ?CD that reduced the capacity of the SiO2-?CD matrix in the glycerol adsorption, the main byproduct of the transesterification reaction. Assays carried out in packed bed reactor running on a continuous basis are propose to confirm the efficiency of this matrix.

Immobilization of fluorescent chemosensors and chromogenic reagents on solid supports for developing optical sensors result in improved analytical performance characteristics such as continuous read-out, increased sensitivity, lower reagent consumption and possibility of using the sensor in solvents where the free molecule displays low solubility. The aim of this study is to immobilize dansylaminophenyl boronic acid (DAPB acid) and diphenylcarbazide (DPC) into various solid supports for the determination of fructose and hexavalent chromium, respectively. DAPB acid reacts with diol containing molecules to produce electron transfer resulting fluorescence quenching. Whereas DPC reacts specifically with chromate to produce a magenta colored complex having absorption maximum at 540 nm. Utilizing sol-gel technology, inorganic polymer matrices which enabled to observe fluorescence and absorbance signal in VIS region has been constructed. Also methylmethacrylate (MMA) and methacrylic acid (MAA), which are known to give transparent organic co-polymers, are chosen as monomers in the synthesis of organic copolymer. Hydrogels such as polyvinyl alcohol and Ca-alginate gel have been utilized for their good optical characteristics in the working range. Several considerations in the construction of host matrix were taken into account, such as the porosity of the polymers, functionalization of the matrix and use of additives for increasing the affinity of the medium toward the dopant molecule and swelling properties of organic polymers. The performances of the immobilizations were evaluated in terms of the transmittance and leaching properties of the host matrix, optical properties of dopant and optical response characteristic of the dopant for the analyte. The sensor applications of the immobilized probe molecule DPC were investigated. Studies regarding the enhancement of the performance of the flow injection analysis method for fructose determination, previously carried out in our laboratory, based on the fluorescence quenching of DAPB acid probe in solution were stated.

The aim of this study was to immobilize the redox enzyme laccase over TiO2-SiO2-Au thin film coated ITO glass substrates in order to prepare electrochemically active surfaces for biosensor applications. Colloidal TiO2-SiO2-Au solution was synthesized by sol-gel route and thin film was deposited onto the substrates by dipcoating method. The cysteamine was utilized as a linker for immobilization of enzyme covalently through gold active sites. Preliminary studies were conducted by using invertase as model enzyme and Pyrex glasses as substrates. The effect of immobilization parameters such as immobilization temperature, concentration of enzyme deposition solution, immobilization time for laccase were examined. Leakage studies were conducted and storage stability of immobilized laccase was determined. Highest laccase activity was achieved when immobilization was performed with 50 µ
g/ml solution at 4°
C for 2 hours. Laccase activity decreased after 4 hours of impregnation in enzyme solution. Laccase leakage was observed in the first usage of substrates and 55% activity decrease was determined in the subsequent use which might be attributed to the presence of uncovalently adsorbed enzyme on the fresh samples. In air and in buffer storage stabilities were also tested. It was found that the activity of samples almost vanished after 6 days regardless of storage conditions. Both enzymes had more activity on ITO substrate.

The aim of this study was to investigate the viability of patterning by immobilization, photocatalytic removal, and re-immobilization steps of the enzyme on photocatalytically active thin films for biosensor fabrication purposes. For this aim, TiO2-SiO2-Au sol-gel colloids were synthesized and deposited on glass substrates as thin films by dip coating. Cysteamine linker was assembled on gold nanoparticles to functionalize thin films with amine groups for immobilization of model enzyme invertase. Effect of immobilization temperature, enzyme concentration of the immobilization solution and immobilization period on invertase immobilization were investigated. The immobilized invertase activity was found independent from the immobilization temperature in the range tested (4oC-room temperature). The optimum enzyme concentration and period for immobilization was determined as 10µ
g/ml and 12 hours respectively. The resulting invertase immobilized thin films showed high storage stability retaining more that 50% of their initial activity after 9 weeks of storage. Photocatalytic enzyme removal and re-immobilization studies were carried out by irradiating the invertase immobilized thin films with blacklight. Upon 30 minutes of irradiation, immobilized invertase was completely and irreversibly inactivated. Initial immobilized invertase activity (before the irradiation) was attained when invertase was re-immobilized on thin films that were irradiated for 5 hours. Thus it was inferred that with sufficient exposure, enzymes can be completely removed from the surfaces which makes the re-immobilization possible. The possibility of enzyme removal with photocatalytic activity and re-immobilization can pave the way to new patterning techniques to produce multi-enzyme electrode arrays.

Bien que les matériaux poreux soient nombreux dans la nature, la synthèse en laboratoirede matériaux présentant une porosité multi-échelle ou hiérarchisée est toujours délicate. Enutilisant la matière molle (émulsions concentrées, auto-assemblages, mésophases lyotropes, etc)et le procédé sol-gel, il est possible d’obtenir une grande variété de matériaux monolithiques, àporosité hiérarchisée, composés d’un squelette silicique. La porosité de ces matériaux peut êtreoptimisée en jouant avec la nature de l’émulsion, le tensioactif utilisé, ou avec l’ajout d’agentd’extérieur comme le sel. En combinant ces méthodes, des matériaux possédant une mésoporositéhexagonale ont été obtenus. Grâce à leur surface riche en silanols, ces matériaux poreux ont étéfonctionnalisés par greffage post-synthèse de molécules organiques. Dès lors, l’immobilisationd’entités biologiques comme les enzymes au sein de la structure poreuse a permis d’utiliser cesmatériaux pour des réactions d’hydrolyse, de synthèse ou de décoloration en milieu aqueux dansune approche de « chimie verte ». Enfin, des micro-organismes ont été piégés dans ces matériauxporeux qui ont été recouverts d’une coque en silice. Les micro-organismes peuvent s’y développersans restriction et leur croissance est très différente de celle observée dans les cultures classiques.La coque en silice, formée en surface, est donc imperméable au passage des bactéries (taillemicrométrique) mais perméable à la diffusion des substrats et des réactifs. Cette diffusion a étémise à profit pour réaliser des réactions enzymatiques en cascade. Ces matériaux se positionnentcomme des biocatalyseurs très prometteurs pour de nombreuses applications
Although porous materials are numerous in nature, the laboratory synthesis of materials withmulti-scale or hierarchical porosity is always difficult. By using soft matter (concentrated emulsions,self-assemblies, lyotropic mesophases, etc.) and the sol-gel process, it is possible to obtaina wide variety of monolithic materials with hierarchical porosity composed of a silicic skeleton.The porosity of these materials can be optimized by playing with the nature of the emulsion,the surfactant used, or with the addition of external agents such as salt. By combining these methods,materials with hexagonal mesoporosity have been obtained. Thanks to their silanol-richsurface, these porous materials have been functionalized by post-synthesis grafting of organicmolecules. Therefore, the immobilization of biological entities such as enzymes within the porousstructure has made it possible to use these materials for hydrolysis, synthesis or discolorationreactions in aqueous media in a "green chemistry" approach. Finally, microorganisms were trappedin these porous materials which were covered with a silica shell. Microorganisms can growthere without restriction and their growth is very different from that observed in conventionalcultures. The silica shell formed on the surface is therefore impermeable to the passage of bacteria(micrometric size) but permeable to diffusion of substrates and reagents. This diffusion wasused to carry out cascade enzymatic reactions. These materials are positioned as very promisingbiocatalysts for many applications

La preparazione di nanoparticelle (NPs) metalliche risulta complessa a causa di diversi parametri operativi in grado di modificare le proprietà del prodotto finale, per questo la ricerca di nuove strategie sintetiche atte a controllare morfologia e geometria di questi sistemi costituisce uno dei temi di maggior interesse scientifico per la chimica della catalisi. La tecnica di sol immobilization permette di ottenere catalizzatori nanostrutturati composti da nanoparticelle stabilizzate da polimeri e depositate su un materiale che funga da supporto. La possibilità di preparare polimeri con proprietà specifiche, ha aperto l’opportunità di sfruttare questi sistemi per modellare le caratteristiche delle nanoparticelle e la loro attività catalitica. In particolare, in quest’attività di ricerca è stato studiato, attraverso una reazione modello, in che modo il peso molecolare ed il grado di idrolisi degli stabilizzanti polimerici a base di poli-vinilalcol, possono influenzare la morfologia e l’attività delle nanoparticelle di oro.

Abstract In this Ph.D. project, the effective parameters in the sol-immobilization method which can affect catalytic reactivity including: capping agent, solvent of synthesis, and support were studied. The synthesized catalysts were employed in the liquid phase hydrogenation reactions of two biomass derived molecules namely furfural and vanillin. In this regard, the role of protective agents, which are used to stabilize colloidal nanoparticles (NPs) in solutions, for Pd NPs supported on carbon support in the liquid phase hydrogenation of furfural was explored. The use of Pd as a hydrogenation catalyst is well documented, as hydrogenation reactions can only be performed by metals that can easily chemisorb hydrogen. Pd is one of such metals capable of dissociate hydrogen even at room temperature. The capping agent adsorbed on the surface of the NPs can alter their activity and selectivity, by modifying the particle size, size distribution, morphology, and stability against leaching and agglomeration. Besides, the effect of the amount of protective agent and the synthesis solvents have been investigated, allowing better insight into the metal-support interaction in Pd/TiO2 catalysts for the hydrogenation of furfural. Then, the effect of using different carbonaceous supports with various chemical-physical properties on the activity and selectivity towards the hydrodeoxygenation of vanillin as a lignin model compound was explored. To better understand the role of the capping agents in controlling the activity and the selectivity of the furfural hydrogenation, a series of carbon-supported Pd nanoparticles were prepared through controlled sol-immobilization method using different capping agents, including polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride (PDDA) containing oxygen and/or nitrogen groups. The catalysts were characterized by different techniques. UV-Vis and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to evaluate the interaction between capping agents and Pd precursor, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed to study the final morphology of the catalyst. Finally, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to investigate the surface chemistry of the carbon support, the chemical state, and the exposure of supported palladium species. The UV-Vis spectra of the system composed of Pd precursor plus capping agent demonstrated the interaction of the metal with PVA and PVP. In the case of PDDA, changes to the precursor salt complex were noticed through shifts in [PdCl4]2- absorbance bands. The disappearance of the peaks associated with Pd2+ and the observed scattering indicated a complete reduction to Pd0 and the formation of metal nanoparticles. The interaction of the capping agents with the Pd precursor was studied by FTIR spectroscopy. For PVA, the peaks corresponding to the stretching vibrations of C–O–C linkage were observed, which suggested the presence of cross-linked PVA molecules, and the slight modification observed for the peaks in the spectrum of PVA + Na2PdCl4 suggested a weak interaction between the metal precursor and the –OH groups present in PVA. In the case of PVP, a decrease in the intensity of the peak after the addition of Pd was observed which confirmed that both O and N groups are present in PVP interaction with the metal precursor. For PDDA, after the addition of Pd, the intensity of the peaks decreased, which indicated that the activity of the vibrational modes is modified in the mixture, probably due to PDDA–Pd interaction. The morphological characteristics of the synthesized catalysts were evaluated by HRTEM. We noticed that the capping agent has a major effect on the size and distribution of Pd NPs when using activated carbon as the support. All catalysts had an average particle size of 3–4 nm, with the presence of isolated larger particles in the case of PdPDDA/C. The XPS survey data revealed that only Pd, C, N, and O species were present on the surface of the catalysts. Depending on the capping agent used, substantial differences were observed in the relative amount of Pd on the surface: PdPVA/C (1.30 %) > PdPDDA/C (0.76 %) > PdPVP/C (0.50 %). The data also showed a different oxygen content in the samples. PdPVA/C displayed the highest relative amount of O (14.7 % compared to PdPDDA/C (9.70 %) and PdPVP/C (9.10 %)), respectively. The highest oxygen content on the surface of PdPVA/C catalyst is probably due to the presence of –OH groups in PVA. PdPVP/C exhibited the highest N content (2.95 %), higher than PdPDDA/C (1.86 %) due to the presence of a pyrrole-type N species in PVP and dimethyl-ammonium groups in PDDA, while in the PdPVA/C N was not detected on the surface, as expected. The performance of the prepared catalysts was examined for the liquid-phase hydrogenation of furfural (furfural 0.3 M; furfural/metal ratio 500 mol/mol, 5 bar H2, temperature range of 25–75 °C) with 2-propanol as solvent. The catalytic results revealed that the activity of catalysts is correlated to the relative amount of Pd at the surface: PdPVA/C (1.3%) > PdPDDA/C (0.76%) > PdPVP/C (0.50%). At 75 °C the catalysts exhibit similar reactivity. We ascribed this effect to the partial removal of a capping agent during the reaction, thereby exposing a higher number of active sites to the reactant. In the next step, since the best results were obtained using PVA, this latter was chosen as the protective agent, focusing on the effects that its amount and the change of the solvent of synthesis to methanol-water mixtures might have on the preparation of Pd/TiO2 catalysts. This new approach indicates the necessity of using the capping agent, and results also show that the acidification step, which lowers the isoelectric point (IEP) to afford anchoring of the NPs to the surface of the support, can be eliminated while still maintaining the same degree of Pd immobilization (≥ 96%) and particle size control (< 2 nm). These samples were evaluated for furfural hydrogenation; there was an improvement in selectivity towards furfuryl alcohol and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, whereas ether by-products were suppressed. Supported Pd NPs were prepared in accordance with the standard sol-immobilization method, in which the temperature of the chemical reduction was maintained at 1 °C. This temperature was chosen as earlier research in our workgroup reviled the formation of smaller nanoparticles when lower temperatures were used. UV-Vis spectroscopy was performed to characterize the precursor salt and colloidal solutions during NPs preparation. Changes to the precursor salt complex were noticed through shifts in [PdCl4]2- absorbance bands. Catalysts prepared with increasing volumes of MeOH showed shifts in the distinctive ligand to metal charge transfer (LMCT) and d-d transitions. This confirms a change to the Pd metal precursor complex when it is solvated in either the MeOH/H2O mixture or in pure MeOH. One reason for this is the exchange of ligands between the Pd salt complex and the solvent synthesis. The Pd % loading of each catalyst was measured using microwave plasma – atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES). All catalysts were characterized using TEM, in order to get information of their average NP sizes and particle size distributions/dispersions. An initial comparison of catalysts, showed that an acidified immobilization step increases the average NP size. The bigger NP size and dispersion was found for the sample prepared by H2O as the solvent, PVA, and acidification step, which it can be ascribed to the interaction of the stabilizer agent (PVA) with acid during the immobilization step. XAFS was performed to investigate both changes to Pd oxidation state (XANES) and the local structural environment with respect to Pd (EXAFS). The results confirmed that by using PVA in the solvent system, the Pd oxidation state contains a greater quantity of Pd2+. Interestingly, by removing the acidification step during the synthesis, an increase in the oxidized Pd state was observed. This was consistent with the TEM data indicating this increase in Pd2+ is related to the observed particle sizes. Pd surfaces are known to form passivating oxide layers when exposed to air with an increase in the temperature needed to form a bulk oxide structure. Therefore, the Pd2+ fraction refers to the quantity of the available Pd surface and hence the particle size. Fitting of the 1st shell Pd K edge EXAFS data was consistent with the trends observed through TEM and XANES characterization. The presence of small Pd NPs is confirmed by the decreased magnitude of Pd-Pd scattering, signified by smaller CNPd-Pd. All catalysts were tested for the hydrogenation of furfural at 50°C. Although the XANES, EXAFS, and TEM data have all confirmed that sample prepared by the pure MeOH contains smaller NPs than the sample prepared by pure H2O, the initial catalytic activity showed that the sample synthesized by H2O has a significant increase in initial TOF h-1. In addition, furfural hydrogenation performed over the bare TiO2 support displayed 98.4 % selectivity to the acetal product (2-(diisopropoxymethyl) furan), at isoconversion, while sample prepared by H2O revealed less selectivity to the acetal (18.8%). To understand these differences in activity/selectivity we performed further HRTEM investigations of the fresh samples. These studies have identified a 'halo' of PVA around NPs produced using MeOH (e.g. PdMeP) and at the interface between NPs and support. We suggest that the poor solubility of PVA in methanol is responsible for this increase in PVA clustering on the catalytic surface/support interface identified with HRTEM. We also propose that the active sites on TiO2 are formed through the spillover of hydrogen onto the support and accounts for the superior yield of acid catalysed products for Pd/TiO2 compared to TiO2 alone. In the case of Pd/TiO2, the catalysts prepared using MeOH result in aggregation of PVA at the Pd-TiO2 interface, which restrict spillover effects and decreases the amount of acid catalysed products. For the catalysts prepared without the addition of PVA, we observed a higher proportion of ethers than for the analogous catalysts prepared with PVA. This further supports our hypothesis that PVA at the metal-support interface limits the spillover of hydrogen. Catalyst recycle tests were carried out over six consecutive hydrogenation cycles. The catalysts prepared without PVA quickly deactivated with almost negligible performance by the sixth consecutive run. The TEM analysis of the spent sample confirmed that when PVA is not present the samples quickly agglomerate and effective surface area of Pd rapidly diminishes. Finally, the effect of support on both activity and selectivity of the catalyst in the hydrogenation of vanillin to vanillyl alcohol and the subsequent hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) to creosol was studied. Four types of carbonaceous materials (three activated carbon: Norit, KB, G60, and a carbon nanofiber: HHT) were used as support for Pd nanoparticles. Catalysts were synthesized with sol immobilisation method using PVA as the capping agent, and tested in the hydrodeoxygenation reaction of vanillin under mild reaction conditions (50 °C, 5 bar H2 and isopropanol as solvent). Catalysts have been extensively characterized by TEM, XPS and BET in order to correlate the surface properties with the catalytic behaviour and selectivity to the target products. In the end, recycle tests were carried out on the most active catalyst to determine the reusability of the material used. BET analysis was conducted on Pd-supported catalysts. Pd/Norit catalyst has the highest surface area (2000 m2/g), whereas Pd/HHT has the lowest surface area (40 m2/g). The average pore radius of all samples was in the range of 2 nm for Pd/KB to 25,4 nm for Pd/HHT. XPS analysis were performed on the synthesized catalysts to determine the oxidation state of the Pd, the graphitization order and the presence and abundance of oxygen functionality. Pd/Norit, Pd/KB and Pd/G60 had a similar amount of C1s species (84.4 %, 87.3 % and 91.1 %, respectively), while Pd/HHT had the highest number of C 1s (98.8 %). Evaluation of O1s species revealed that the Pd/HHT catalyst has the lowest amount of functionalisation (0.9 %), while Pd/Norit the highest one (14.3 %). The results showed that the Pd/HHT catalyst has the highest amount of C=C (82.1 %), therefore the support can be considered highly graphitised. TEM analysis were performed to determine the mean particle size and size distribution. In all samples, the nanoparticles are homogeneously distributed on the support. Pd/Norit and Pd/KB had similar mean Pd particle sizes (2.5 and 2.7 nm respectively). Whereas, Pd/G60 and Pd/HHT displayed higher mean Pd nanoparticle diameters (3.5 and 3.9 nm, respectively). The catalysts were tested in the vanillin HDO reaction. The reaction profile shows the features of a typical consecutive reaction, with vanillyl alcohol as the intermediate product, and creosol as the final product. Interesting, an additional product was detected in the reaction mixture, namely vanillyl isopropyl ether. The ether is produced by reaction of vanillyl alcohol with a molecule of solvent (isopropanol) and it is consumed with time since it is in equilibrium with the alcohol. The results revealed that the rate of conversion of vanillin enhances with increasing degree of graphitisation. These results can be explained by the strong interaction between the graphitic plane of the support and the aromatic ring of the substrate that allows a better interaction with the active metal nanoparticles. At the same time, the activity in the vanillin hydrogenation reaction decreases with an increase in oxygen content at the carbon surface. The support-substrate interaction is responsible for the change in activity; the increase in oxygen functionality actually disrupts the graphical plane structure of the support. The support affected the selectivity at the lower conversion. In fact, at 50 % of conversion, vanillyl alcohol was the main product of Pd/Norit, Pd/HHT and Pd/KB (selectivity in the 73-82 %), while Pd/G60 provided high levels of both vanillyl isopropyl ether and creosol (23 and 21 %, respectively). The formation of ether was associated with the amount of carboxylic support functionality (COOH groups). The recycling tests were carried out on the most active catalyst: Pd/HHT. After five consecutive reactions, the conversion did not significantly decrease, demonstrating the high stability of the catalyst. Comparably, the selectivity of vanillyl alcohol remained almost unchanged.