CuO/Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite as Highly Active and Durable Catalyst for Selective Oxidation of Cyclohexane

Abstract

AbstractAchieving breakage of C−H bond of hydrocarbons performance still remains a significant challenge in oxidation chemistry for heterogeneous catalyst. In this work, we report copper oxide‐ graphene oxide (CuO‐GO) nanocomposites as durable and highly active and selective catalyst for oxidation of cyclohexane. Different wt% of Cu(II) loaded on RGO surface to form a nanocomposite as well as Co(II) and Ni(II) loaded GO composites were prepared by wet impregnation method. The efficacy of catalyst was tested towards selective oxidation of cyclohexane. 5wt%CuO‐GO proved to be superior in terms improved selectivity towards cyclohexanone (82 %) and short reaction times, plus easy recovery and reusability of the catalyst. The presence of functional groups prevent the aggregation of catalytically active CuO species during the reaction progress.