A nanohybrid self-assembled from exfoliated layered vanadium oxide nanosheets and Keggin Al13 for selective catalytic oxidation of alcohols

A nanoscale hybrid material (V2O5-Al-13) for highly efficient alcohol oxidation is synthesized through electrostatic self-assembly between oppositely charged Keggin Al-13 polyoxocations and exfoliated V2O5 nanosheets. The analyses by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and structural consideration based on charge balance indicate that the Keggin Al-13 ions could be sparsely distributed in the nanosheet galleries. The as-prepared catalyst successfully achieved high catalytic activity toward alcohols (96.8% sel.) with the oxygen molecule as an ideal oxidant under mild conditions. Also, the nanohybrid showed an outstanding adsorption capability for benzyl alcohol (773 mg g(-1)). In comparison to individual exfoliated V2O5 nanosheets and bulk V2O5, the V2O5-Al-13 nanohybrid catalyst exhibited superior catalytic activity and selectivity under the same experimental conditions. The results highlight the outstanding functionality of the V2O5-Al-13 nanohybrid as an efficient oxidation catalyst. A detailed study of its structure-activity relationship showed that the high performance of the V2O5-Al-13 nanohybrid is attributed to the adsorption-catalysis synergistic effect between V2O5 and Al-13.