From Bench to Industry, the Application of All-inorganic Solid Base Materials in Traditional Heterogeneous Catalysis: a Mini Review

Acids and bases generally occur in pairs as concepts, and a large number of catalytic reactions can be considered as interactions between acids and bases. Many chemical reactions are a combination of acid-catalyzed processes and base-catalyzed processes, and thus it is particularly important to study and explain the mechanisms of acid-base synergy or acid-base interactions. However, compared to the in-depth research on acid catalysts, there is a lack of research on solid bases. In addition to the application of basic materials to non-petroleum processes, recent studies have also applied basic materials to the catalytic cracking reaction process of heavy oils, providing new ideas for the processing of heavy oils. The formation of carbanions with the contribution of basicity is a critical stage in many fine chemical reactions, as well as in the hydrocarbon cracking reactions promoted by a base. Thus, herein, we summarize the research progress on the main types of all-inorganic solid base catalysts, including the types of catalysts used in non-petroleum processes and petroleum processes, their preparation, the properties of their basic sites, and their structure-performance correlation in the reactions. Also, we provide an outlook on the future research directions of all-inorganic solid base materials.