ABSTRACT
Mesoporous materials are porous materials, whose pore size varies from 2 to 50 nm in diameter. Such materials are formed from coordination polymerisation of metal ions and functionalized organic linkers. With a judicious choice of metal ions and organic linkers, the pore size of these mesoporous materials can be manipulated according to the desired target. Lewis acidic metal centre, insolubility and high thermal stabilities are intrinsic properties of mesoporous materials. These unique properties and pore size tuning capabilities make them a suitable candidate for heterogeneous catalysis. In general, mesoporous materials act as heterogeneous catalysts mainly on three approaches: (i) with incorporated active sites on the mesoporous materials, (ii) with encapsulated active entities and (iii) with active sites, attached through post-synthetic methods. In this chapter, these approaches will be highlighted along with the latest achievements in this direction.
