Sulfonated Styrene–Dimethacrylate Resins with Improved Catalytic Activity

Abstract

In the present study, different ion-exchange resins were synthesized with different cross-linking agents, and then compared to a commercial ion-exchange resin (Amberlyst 36®). This comparison was made by measuring the conversion of an esterification catalyzed by those resins under different conditions and also by measuring their swelling indexes. It was found that the resins made with the cross-linkers ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate achieved much higher conversion than that of Amberlyst 36® and also had a higher swelling index, corroborating the hypothesis that higher swelling indexes favor the accessibility of the catalytic sites, improving the efficiency of the catalyst.