Tuning the oxidation state of copper in CuMgAl hydrotalcite using partially oxidized MoS2 for efficient hydroxylation of phenol

Abstract

The CuMgAl ternary hydrotalcite (CuMgAl) has been reported to achieve the decomposition of H2O2 to OH for hydroxylation of phenol, and the key active site is Cu+. The Cu2+ must be converted to Cu+, which is a slow step that lowers the total reaction efficiency. Herein, the partially oxidized MoS2 loaded CuMgAl (PO-MoS2/CuMgAl-1.12) sample was designed to overcome this issue. As a variable valence metal the Mo can partly tune the Cu2+ to Cu+ by forming MoOCu electron transport system which enhances the catalytic performance of our catalyst.