Cubic nanocasted polyaniline-ordered mesoporous carbon composite and its application for enhanced catalytic activity of palladium nanoparticles in the aerobic oxidation of alcohols in water

Abstract

A novel polyaniline-ordered mesoporous carbon composite (PANI/OMC) was prepared through a two-step nanocasting technique in the presence of KIT-6 as template. The material exhibits high surface area, accessible mesoporous structure as well as improved basicity and redox potential arising from the presence of polyaniline as a nitrogen-containing polymer. It was successfully used as an effective support for preparation of a Pd nanoparticle (Pd NPs) supported catalyst (Pd@PANI/OMC), which was then employed as a powerful catalyst in the aerobic oxidation of primary alcohols, affording the corresponding carboxylic acids in good to excellent yields in pure water. This excellent catalytic performance can be attributed to the synergism of the large surface area and highly dispersed Pd NPs derived from the extraordinary features of the support. Morphology, structure, and composition of the materials were characterized by N2 adsorption–desorption analysis, electron microscopy (TEM, SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).