Aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol over activated carbon supported manganese and vanadium catalysts: Effect of surface oxygen-containing groups

In this contribution, the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol using molecular oxygen over supported manganese and vanadium catalysts was investigated. The catalytic activities were significantly improved after pre-oxidizing the activated carbon support materials. Characterizations of nitrogen physisorption, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray absorption were involved to examine the physicochemical properties of as-prepared catalysts. By ruling out the effects of specific surface area, active site dispersion, valence and local coordination of Mn and V active species, the improved catalytic activity was attributed to the specific variety and increased density of oxygen-containing groups on activated carbon support surfaces, which was further confirmed by cyclic voltammetry measurements and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Graphical Abstract: Surface oxidation pretreatment significantly enhances the catalytic activity of benzyl alcohol oxidation. Ruling out the variation of specific surface area and catalytic site characteristics, the improvement is attributed to the elevated surface oxygen density.