Nanocatalyst anchored onto acid functionalized solid support and methods of making and using same

A method of manufacturing a supported catalyst comprising:

• (i) reacting a solid metal oxide support material with an inorganic acid containing agent to form an acid functionalized support material, the inorganic acid containing agent comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, and derivatives thereof;
• (ii) providing a plurality of catalyst atoms;
• (iii) providing an anchoring agent comprising a plurality of organic molecules having at least one functional group capable of binding to the catalyst atoms;
• and
• (iv) reacting the anchoring agent, the catalyst atoms, and the acid functionalized support material to form a plurality of catalyst particles, wherein the anchoring agent bonds to the acid functionalized support material to anchor the catalyst particles thereto.

A supported, anchored catalyst, comprising:

• a plurality of active catalyst nanoparticles having a size less than about 100 nm;
• an acid functionalized support material comprising at least 50% of a metal oxide;
• a plurality of sulfonic functional groups bonded to the support material;
• and
• a plurality of organic anchoring agent molecules bonded to the plurality of sulfonic functional groups and to the plurality of active catalyst particles such that the catalyst particles are anchored to and supported by the acid functionalized support material.

A supported, anchored catalyst comprising:

• a plurality of active nanocatalyst particles having a particle size less than about 100 nm;
• an acid functionalized support material comprising silica having a plurality of inorganic acid functional groups bonded thereto derived from at least one acid selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, and derivatives thereof;
• and
• a plurality of organic anchoring agent molecules bonded to the plurality of inorganic acid functional groups and to the plurality of active nanocatalyst particles such that the nanocatalyst particles are anchored to and supported by the acid functionalized support material.