Copper nanoparticles embedded into nitrogen-doped carbon fiber felt as recyclable catalyst for benzene oxidation under mild conditions

Abstract

Herein, an active and stable nanocatalyst based on copper nanoparticles embedded into nitrogen-doped carbon fiber felts (NCFFs) was fabricated through a co-assembly protocol. The catalytic performance of Cu (20 wt.%)/NCFF was contributed to its structural and morphological features, which were studied by various characterization techniques. The data illustrated that the catalyst showed reasonable activity and excellent selectivity in oxidation of benzene-to-phenol (25.2 and 100% for yield and selectivity respectively) in the presence of an environmentally-friendly oxidant. Furthermore, the microscopic catalyst kept its long-term performance until nine successive runs, which turns it into a bulk alternative in large-scale schemes.