Pickering Interfacial Catalysis for Aerobic Alcohol Oxidation in Oil Foams

Oil foams stabilized by surface-active catalytic particles bearing fluorinated chains and Pd nanoparticles allowed fast and efficient aerobic oxidation of a variety of aromatic and aliphatic alcohols compared to bulk catalytic systems at ambient O-2 pressure. High foam stability was achieved at low particle concentration (<1 wt %) provided that the contact angle locates in the range 41 degrees-73 degrees. The catalytic performance was strongly affected by the foaming properties, with 7-10 times activity increase in pure O-2 compared to nonfoam systems. Intermediate foam stability was required to achieve good catalytic activity, combining large interfacial area and high gas exchange rate. Particles were conveniently recycled with high foamability and catalytic efficiency maintained for at least seven consecutive runs.

Automated summary

Oil foams stabilized by surface-active catalytic particles bearing fluorinated chains and Pd nanoparticles enable fast and efficient aerobic oxidation of various alcohols. The stability of the foam greatly affects the catalytic performance, and the particles can be conveniently recycled.