Selective oxidation of styrene by H2O2 over novel supported palladium(ii)-based catalysts

Abstract

Novel palladium-based catalysts have been synthesized by attaching Pd(OAc)₂ to surface-modified mesoporous silica and graphene oxide (functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and m-phenylenedicarboxaldehyde). Physicochemical properties of the catalysts were disclosed through systematic characterization. The newly developed catalysts were tested for the selective oxidation of styrene by H₂O₂. The stability of the catalyst and the heterogeneity of the reaction system were investigated using different approaches, such as catalyst recycling and hot-filtration tests. No significant palladium black was found during the whole reaction process, indicating that the bidentate ligand grafted on the solid support effectively promoted the redox cycle of the active component. The performance of the catalyst SBA-15-B-Pd was superior to that of GO-B-Pd for the described reaction. Moreover, the catalysts could be reused multiple times without significant loss of their performance.