Synergistic effects of nitrogen-doped graphene and Fe2O3 nanocomposites in catalytic oxidization of aldehyde with O2

Promotion of nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) by incorporation of ferric oxide (NG-Fe 2 O 3 ) is found to strongly enhance the activity in the catalytic oxidization of aldehyde to synthesize carboxylic acid with O 2 . The composite NG-Fe 2 O 3 catalysts can be fabricated by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The characterization results of the composite catalysts have revealed that the Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles (NPs) with sizes of 40–90   nm are not only on both sides of NG sheets but also tightly enwrapped by the graphene layers. In comparison to NG and Fe 2 O 3 NPs, synergistic adsorption that confirmed by DFT studies has been created on the NG-Fe 2 O 3 composites, where both NG and Fe 2 O 3 are proposed to be involved in the adsorptive interaction. The synergistic adsorption can lead to strengthen O 2 molecule adsorption of NG and weaken O 2 molecule adsorption of Fe 2 O 3 NPs. More importantly, the NG-Fe 2 O 3 composite is found to considerably facilitate the longest elongation of O-O bonds and contribute to the striking enhancement of the catalytic performance. The highly active NG-Fe 2 O 3 composite shows wide scope for catalysis of oxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids and good stability for recycle six times.