Methods for manufacturing functionalized inorganic oxides and polymers incorporating same

A method for functionalizing an inorganic oxide, comprising:

• (i) providing an inorganic oxide substrate comprising silica and/or alumina, the substrate having a plurality of hydroxyl groups on a surface thereof;
• (ii) providing a functionalizing agent comprising a plurality of organic molecules that are free of silicon and that have at least one bonding functional group and a functionalizing moiety, wherein the functionalizing agent is selected from the group consisting of citric acid, polyacrylic acid, oxalic acid, ethylene glycol, ethanolamine, glycine, glycolic acid, adipic acid, salts thereof, and combinations thereof;
• and
• (iii) reacting the functionalizing agent with the substrate such that the bonding functional group bonds to the hydroxyl groups on the surface thereof and the functionalizing moiety remains available to give the substrate the desired functionality.

A method for manufacturing a functionalizing catalyst support material, comprising:

• (i) providing an inorganic oxide substrate having a plurality of functional groups on the surface thereof and the substrate having a composition, a particle size, and a surface area suitable for use as a catalyst support for a nanoparticle catalyst;
• (ii) providing a functionalizing agent comprising a plurality of organic molecules that are free of silicon, wherein each of the organic molecules has at least one bonding functional group capable of bonding to the functional groups of the substrate and at least one functionalizing moiety that can bond with a catalyst atom;
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• (iii) reacting the functionalizing agent with the support material such that the first functional group bonds to the surface thereof and the second functional group remains available to bond with a catalyst atom.

A method for manufacturing a functionalized filler material, comprising:

• (i) providing an inorganic oxide substrate having a plurality of surface functional groups on the surface thereof, the substrate having a composition, a particle size, and a surface area suitable for use as a filler material;
• (ii) providing a functionalizing agent comprising a plurality of organic molecules that are free of silicon, wherein each of the organic molecules has at least one bonding functional group capable of bonding to the surface functional groups of the substrate and at least one functionalizing moiety that can bond with a polymeric material;
• and
• (iii) reacting the functionalizing agent with the substrate such that the first functional group bonds to the surface thereof and the second functional group remains available to bond with a polymeric material.