Protein powder derived nitrogen-doped carbon supported atomically dispersed iron sites for selective oxidation of ethylbenzene

Abstract

Atomically dispersed Fe species embedded in the nitrogen-containing carbon supports (Fe₁/NC) are successfully synthesized using a ball milling approach, with commercial protein powder as the nitrogen source. The catalyst exhibits outstanding performance in the oxidation of aromatic compounds containing saturated C–H bonds into corresponding ketones under ambient conditions, which is superior to those of a nanoparticle catalyst (Fe_n/NC) and a metal-free catalyst (NC).