Preparation of H₅PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀ catalyst immobilized on nitrogen-containing mesostructured cellular foam carbon (N-MCF-C) and its application to the vapor-phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol

Nitrogen-containing mesostructured cellular foam carbon (N-MCF-C) was synthesized by a templating method using mesostructured cellular foam silica (MCF-S) and polypyrrole as a templating agent and a carbon precursor, respectively. The N-MCF-C was then modified to have a positive charge, and thus, to provide a site for the immobilization of [PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀]^5-. By taking advantage of the overall negative charge of [PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀]^5-, H₅PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀ (PMo₁₀V₂) catalyst was chemically immobilized on the N-MCF-C support as a charge-matching component. Characterization results showed that the PMo₁₀V₂ catalyst was finely dispersed on the N-MCF-C support via strong chemical interaction, and that the pore structure of N-MCF-C was still maintained even after the immobilization of PMo₁₀V₂. In the vapor-phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol, the PMo₁₀V₂/N-MCF-C catalyst showed a higher conversion and a higher oxidation activity (formation of benzaldehyde) than the unsupported PMo₁₀V₂ and PMo₁₀V₂/MCF-S catalysts.