Research Information System
Journal of Molecular Structure, vol.1354, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
In this study, nanostructured nickel borate (Ni3(BO3)2) catalysts were synthesized via the solution combustion method using six different fuels: glycine, carbohydrazide, citric acid, oxalyldihydrazide, urea, and hexamethylenetetramine. The influence of fuel type on the structural properties of the resulting materials was systematically evaluated, and glycine was identified as the most suitable fuel. The glycine-assisted catalyst exhibited a surface area of 14.67 m²/g along with mesoporosity. Its catalytic performance was evaluated in the esterification of acetic acid with benzyl alcohol. Under optimized conditions (120 °C, 20 mg catalyst, 300 min, alcohol/acid molar ratio of 1:30), complete conversion with 100 % selectivity was achieved. Furthermore, the catalyst demonstrated excellent thermal stability and reusability over multiple cycles with minimal activity loss. This work presents a green, cost-effective, and scalable strategy for the synthesis of nickel borate catalysts and underscores their potential for application in sustainable liquid-phase organic transformations, particularly esterification reactions.