Facile preparation of porous manganese oxide foams, sponges, and merged spherical networks, using Polydopamine/Dextran for catalytic oxidation of cyclohexane

The application of biological materials such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids or nucleic acids along with intermediates from biochemical processes in the human body and in nature has become a significant area of research for the chemical industry, environmental science, and biochemical innovation. Moreover, these metabolites, small molecules produced and consumed in living systems, have utility in the economical preparation or catalysis of inorganic, porous nanomaterials. The present study consists of two parts in which a synthesis involving the homopolymer Dextran, exhibiting viscoelasticity was investigated by varying the amount used for the preparation of porous foams and sponges. The preparation to obtain the foams (with monomodal pore size distribution in the mesopore range) was then used to study the effect of incorporating a more economical polymeric (oligomer) material, Polydopamine (PDA) based on Mussel Foot Proteins (MFPs). The effects of morphological, porous, and crystal structures were examined in which merged spherical particle networks were observed. The prepared sponge and particle networks were demonstrated towards their utility in the catalytic oxidation of cyclohexane (~30% conversion with selectivity towards cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone), an important industrial process in the production of polymeric and organic materials. [Display omitted] •Prepared mesoporous, foam morphology, uniform pore size Mn2O3/Mn3O4 using Dextran.•Synthesized large mesopore Mn2O3 spherical networks using PDA/Dextran.•Applied Mn2O3 catalyst prepared via PDA/Dextran towards cyclohexane oxidation.