Bicontinuous mesoporous Co, N co-doped carbon catalysts with high catalytic performance for ethylbenzene oxidation

Abstract

A series of bicontinuous mesoporous Co, N co-doped carbon catalysts (Co–N–C), which have large pore sizes and high specific surface areas with remarkable catalytic activity, were prepared through a method using KIT-6 silica as a hard template, and cobalt porphyrin and sucrose as precursors. And morphological and structural characterizations were performed using N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherm, XRD, Raman, TEM and XPS techniques. The results showed that the ethylbenzene oxidation with TBHP as an oxidant over the bicontinuous mesoporous Co, N co-doped carbon catalysts achieved 93% of ethylbenzene conversion with about 99% of selectivity to acetophenone. The superior catalytic performance of the catalysts was attributed to the synergistic effect of factors such as high surface area and well-dispersed metal active sites.