Rod-like Cu/La/O nanoparticles as a catalyst for phenol hydroxylation

Rod-like La/Cu/O nanoparticles, synthesized by a simple coprecipitation reaction with a sonication process, are found to be highly active as a catalyst for the hydroxylation of phenol. Compared to the 4–6 h, 40% yield reported in the literature, our nanoparticle catalyst demonstrates a nearly 100% conversion within 4 h based on gas chromatography.