3 Heterogeneous catalysis and ZIF-8

Swift development in nanoscience has introduced novel opportunities for the fabrication of hybrid metal nanoparticles-based heterogeneous Zeolite Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8) catalysts. Heterogeneous catalysis by ZIF-8 has now become the center of focus for researchers. Multiple strategies for the synthesis of ZIF-8 as a heterogeneous catalyst have been reviewed in this chapter. This chapter mainly focuses on the multidimensional applications of ZIF-8 heterogeneous catalyst, that is, hydrogenation of carbon-dioxide, oxidation of alcohol, Knoevenagel condensation and biodiesel production, etc. The best heterogenic catalytic efficiency of ZIF-8 has been found to be in Knoevenagel condensation, with 94% product yield. The heterogeneous ZIF-8 catalyst can be re-cycled for 4-5 periods, without momentous loss of catalytic efficiency. This chapter also sheds light on the comparison of common heterogeneous and ZIF-8-based heterogeneous catalysts.