Zinc ferro- and ferri-cyanides catalyst structures from point of colloid chemistry view

The aim of this research was to comprehensively analyze zinc ferro- and ferri-cyanides for rationally choose or modify hexacyanoferrates in a range of application focused on catalysing the ring-opening copolymerization of epoxides and CO₂ to reduce the environmental toll. Scripts of the synthesis of 14 samples with variable morphology are given. Thermogravimetry, FT-IR, and XRD indicates the formation of two predominant types of bridging cyanide groups with different coordination environment, which accounts for a lack crystallinity aggregate with an amorphous part. Involving dynamic light scattering and laser Doppler electrophoresis as distinguishing features the formation of colloidal fractions is demonstrated and characterized. The switch from a negative surface rich in Lewis basic sites (Me–CN^–) to a surface rich in open-metal sites is either jump and stepwise successfully completed. The proposed structures of micelles of the catalysts allow great attention to be paid to every small detail of their catalytic activity.