Microwave facile preparation of highly active and dispersed SBA-12 supported metal nanoparticles

The successful preparation of highly active and dispersed metal nanoparticles on a mesoporous material was accomplished in a conventional microwave oven using an environmentally friendly protocol in which ethanol and acetone-water were employed as both solvents and reducing agents. The materials exhibited different particle sizes depending on the metal and the time of microwave irradiation. The nanoparticles were very active and differently selective in the oxidation of styrene.