Enhanced Selective Production of Carbonyl Products for Aerobic Oxidation of Benzylic Alcohols over Mesoporous Fe2O3 Supported Gold Nanoparticles

Ordered mesoporous Fe2O3 supported gold nanoparticles with a desired specific surface area and porous structure (Au/meso-Fe2O3) was successfully fabricated with a hard templating method by using KIT-6 as the template. The morphology and physico-chemical properties of Au/meso-Fe2O3 were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), etc. The gold nanoparticles are highly dispersed on the surface of the mesoporous Fe2O3. The catalytic performance of the synthesized catalyst was studied for the aerobic oxidation of benzylic alcohols in β−O−4 linked lignin model dimers to the corresponding carbonyl products under atmosphere pressure. Au/meso-Fe2O3 shows an enhanced activity for the aerobic oxidation of 1-phenylethanol in comparison with that of Au/bulk-Fe2O3. The promoted catalytic activity is related to the confined porous structure of mesoporous Fe2O3 and more boundaries contact between gold and meso-Fe2O3, which shows that the porous structure of the support has a significant influence on the activity of gold catalysts.