Atomically dispersed Feδ+ anchored on nitrogen-rich carbon for enhancing benzyl alcohol oxidation through Mott-Schottky effect

Active and stable supported metal catalysts, with low metal loading amount and easy access if possible, are preferentially considered and synthesized. This study reports a novel synthesis strategy to prepare Mott-Schottky type nitrogen-doped carbon supported single-atom iron SA-Fe/Nx-C catalysts by ligand-coordinated metallic method together with carbon nitride as template agent and nitrogen source for selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. The SA-Fe/Nx-C catalysts exhibited excellent catalytic performance in benzyl alcohol oxidation compared to that of Fe nanoparticle-based catalyst. The reason for high catalytic activity was attributed to the formed tetra-coordinated FeN4 structure on which electron transfer occurred from metallic Fe to N atoms in the interface of Mott-Schottky contact. Moreover, by tuning the ratio of carbon nitride in preparation of catalysts, the N content doped into carbon could be regulated, accomplishing controllable adjustment of electron transfer of metallic Fe and thus improving the selective benzyl alcohol oxidation.

Automated summary

This study presents a novel synthesis strategy for preparing Mott-Schottky-type nitrogen-doped carbon supported single-atom iron catalysts with excellent catalytic performance in benzyl alcohol oxidation. By tuning the ratio of carbon nitride, the electron transfer of metallic Fe can be controlled to enhance the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol.