PW12 -APTES@MCF: effective nanosized mesoporous composites for the oxidation of benzyl alcohols

The surface of mesocellular silica foam (MCF) was modified by grafting 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APTES) to have a positive charge, and thus to provide sites for the immobilization of H3PW12O40 (PW12) . This modified nanosized mesoporous silica (PW12 -APTES@MCF) was characterized by FTIR, XRD, BET, and TEM. XRD and adsorption–desorption analysis shows that the mesostructure of silica remains intact after various modifications, while the spectral technique shows the successful grafting of the neat PW12 inside the porous silica support. The oxidation of alcohols occurs effectively and selectively with H2O2 as the oxidant. PW12 -APTES@MCF was used as the catalyst. The catalyst can be reused several times but it will be less active.