Liquid-phase oxidation of naphthalene with H2O2 in the presence of ordered mesoporous V-m-Al2O3 catalysts

The ordered mesoporous V- m -Al 2 O 3 catalysts were successfully synthesized via a facile one-pot evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) strategy and applied in the liquid-phase oxidation of naphthalene with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of ascorbic acid as a reductant. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were investigated using various techniques, like XRD, N 2 sorption, UV-Vis spectra, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, XRF and TEM. Small-angle XRD, N 2 sorption and TEM results show that mesoporous V- m -Al 2 O 3 catalysts possess a highly ordered mesostructure with large surface areas and narrow pore-size distributions. High-angle XRD, UV-Vis spectra and Raman spectroscopy results indicate that VO x species were homogeneously incorporated in the matrix of mesoporous Al 2 O 3 .The catalytic performance in the liquid oxidation of naphthalene with H 2 O 2 over 8 V- m -Al 2 O 3 catalyst (naphthalene conversion 45.4% and phthalic anhydride selectivity 61.0%) was higher than other catalysts. The vanadium species incorporated in the 8 V- m -Al 2 O 3 sample were stable, and its catalytic stability was kept well even after repeated use for 5 times, which indicates a green and economical pathway for naphthalene degradation. Graphical Abstract SYNOPSIS In the presence of hydrogen peroxide as oxidant and ascorbic acid as reductant, ordered mesoporous V- m -Al 2 O 3 catalysts were synthesized via a facile one-pot evaporation-induced self-assembly method and successfully applied to the liquid-phase oxidation of naphthalene.