Fe3C confined in N-doped carbons derived from Fe-N bearing ionic liquids for selective oxidation of styrene into benzaldehyde with molecular oxygen

Background It is of great significance but still a challenge in the chemical industry to develop high-efficient heterogeneous catalysts for selective oxidation of styrene into benzaldehyde with molecular oxygen. Methods Fe 3 C nanoparticles confined in N-doped carbons (Fe 3 C/NC) were prepared using Fe 3+ coordinated N-bearing ionic liquids as precursors and melamine as nitrogen source and template, followed by pyrolysis at 900 °C under N 2 atmosphere. The physicochemical properties of the as-prepared Fe 3 C/NC catalyst were analyzed by FT-IR, TG, BET, TEM, XRD, Raman and XPS, respectively, and further employed as novel heterogeneous catalyst for selective oxidation of styrene into benzaldehyde with molecular oxygen. Significant findings The results showed that the Fe 3 C nanoparticles were formed and uniformly embedded into the N-doped carbon matrix, which were confirmed to be the active sites for styrene oxidation. Moreover, the 5 % Fe 3 C/NC catalyst possessed high surface area and dominant mesoporous structure, which could expose more accessible active sites and facilitate mass transfer. As a result, the 5 % Fe 3 C/NC catalyst exhibited superior catalytic performance for styrene oxidation into benzaldehyde with the appropriate styrene conversion of 58.8 % and selectivity to benzaldehyde of 64.1 % as well as no significant activity and selectivity loss after reused at least five times.