Synthesis of Three-Dimensional-Ordered Mesoporous Cobalt Oxides for Selective Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol

Highly ordered mesoporous cobalt oxide catalysts were successfully synthesized by using cubically ordered mesoporous silica (KIT-6) as template. The structural and textural properties were well characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), N-2 adsorption and desorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. The three-dimensional mesoporous Co3O4 with a well-defined three-dimensional structure, high specific surface area (145m(2)/g), which exhibited better catalytic performance (86.7% conversion) than commercial Co3O4 (49.5% conversion) in the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol by using air as the oxidant.