Cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoceramics as an efficient nanocatalyst for the oxidation of olefins in the presence of molecular O2 as an environmentally safe oxidant

Abstract

Selective oxidation of olefins using catalysts with unique structural and compositional characteristics, high cost‐efficiency, and optimal catalytic performance is still one of the ongoing tasks. In the present study, we synthesized cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) magnetic nanoceramics by the sol–gel process as a feasible and effective technique for synthesizing high purity, homogeneous, and crystalline nanoceramics. The nanoceramics were characterized by different analyses such as FT‐IR, XRD, DLS, SEM, XPS, and VSM to investigate their size, morphology, crystallinity, and magnetic properties. Then, the obtained nanoceramics were applied as an environmentally clean catalyst for the oxidation of various olefins to the corresponding epoxides in the presence of molecular O2 and at ambient conditions. The results showed that the CoFe2O4 nanoceramic could act as an efficient catalyst for converting olefins to the corresponding products with excellent yields. To further study the catalytic activity, the effects of some parameters, including catalyst concentration, temperature, time, and solvent, on the oxidation reactions were also studied. In addition, the heterogeneous CoFe2O4 catalyst has advantages such as high selectivity, facile recovery, and reusability of catalyst without a significant decrease in catalytic activity. Finally, our results showed that the catalytic performance of these nanoceramics is among the best reported catalysts for olefin oxidation.