title: Gold nanoparticles supported on mesoporous silica: origin of high activity and role of Au NPs in selective oxidation of cyclohexane.
abstract: Homogeneous immobilization of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) on mesoporous silica has been achieved by using a one-pot synthesis method in the presence of organosilane mercapto-propyl-trimethoxysilane (MPTMS). The resultant Au NPs exhibited an excellent catalytic activity in the solvent-free selective oxidation of cyclohexane using molecular oxygen. By establishing the structure-performance relationship, the origin of the high activity of mesoporous supported Au catalyst was identified to be due to the presence of low-coordinated Au (0) sites with high dispersion. Au NPs were confirmed to play a critical role in the catalytic oxidation of cyclohexane by promoting the activation of O2 molecules and accelerating the formation of surface-active oxygen species.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, PetroChina Key Laboratory of Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, China, 266580.
authors.forename: Pingping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, PetroChina Key Laboratory of Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, China, 266580.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, PetroChina Key Laboratory of Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, China, 266580.
authors.forename: Zifeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072.
authors.forename: George X S
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Zhao