The development of noble-metal-free heterogeneous catalysts that can realize the aerobic oxidation of C–H bonds at low temperature is a profound challenge in the catalysis community. Here we report the synthesis of a mesoporous Mn0.5Ce0.5Ox solid solution that is highly active for the selective oxidation of hydrocarbons under mild conditions (100–120 °C). Notably, the catalytic performance achieved in the oxidation of cyclohexane to cyclohexanone/cyclohexanol (100 °C, conversion: 17.7%) is superior to those by the state-of-art commercial catalysts (140–160 °C, conversion: 3-5%). The high activity can be attributed to the formation of a Mn0.5Ce0.5Ox solid solution with an ultrahigh manganese doping concentration in the CeO2 cubic fluorite lattice, leading to maximum active surface oxygens for the activation of C–H bonds and highly reducible Mn4+ ions for the rapid migration of oxygen vacancies from the bulk to the surface.

A soft chemistry synthetic strategy based on a Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction is developed for the textural engineering of phenolic resin (PR) with a robust mesoporous framework to avoid serious framework shrinkage and maximize retention of organic functional moieties. By taking advantage of the structural benefits of molecular bridges, the resultant sample maintains a bimodal micro-mesoporous architecture with well-preserved organic functional groups, which is effective for carbon capture. Moreover, this soft chemistry synthetic protocol can be further extended to nanotexture other arene-based polymers with robust frameworks.

In this communication, we report a facile approach to constructing catalytic active hierarchical interfaces in one-dimensional (1D) nanostructure, exemplified by the synthesis of TiO2-supported PtFe-FeO(x) nanowires (NWs). The hierarchical interface, constituting atomic level interactions between PtFe and FeO(x) within each NW and the interactions between NWs and support (TiO2), enables CO oxidation with 100% conversion at room temperature. We identify the role of the two interfaces by probing the CO oxidation reaction with isotopic labeling experiments. Both the oxygen atoms (Os) in FeO(x) and TiO2 participate in the initial CO oxidation, facilitating the reaction through a redox pathway. Moreover, the intact 1D structure leads to the high stability of the catalyst. After 30 h in the reaction stream, the PtFe-FeO(x)/TiO2 catalyst exhibits no activity decay. Our results provide a general approach and new insights into the construction of hierarchical interfaces for advanced catalysis.

Various ZSM-5 zeolites modified with alkali metals (Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs) were prepared using ion exchange. The catalysts were used to enhance the catalytic dehydration of lactic acid (LA) to acrylic acid (AA). The effects of cationic species on the structures and surface acid-base distributions of the ZSM-5 zeolites were investigated. The important factors that affect the catalytic performance were also identified. The modified ZSM-5 catalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed desorptions of NH3 and CO2, pyridine adsorption spectroscopy, and N2 adsorption to determine the crystal phase structures, surface acidities and basicities, nature of acid sites, specific surface areas, and pore volumes. The results show that the acid-base sites that are adjusted by alkali-metal species, particularly weak acid-base sites, are mainly responsible for the formation of AA. The KZSM-5 catalyst, in particular, significantly improved LA conversion and AA selectivity because of the synergistic effect of weak acid-base sites. The reaction was conducted at different reaction temperatures and liquid hourly space velocities (LHSVs) to understand the catalyst selectivity for AA and trends in byproduct formation. Approximately 98% LA conversion and 77% AA selectivity were achieved using the KZSM-5 catalyst under the optimum conditions (40 wt% LA aqueous solution, 365 °C, and LHSV 2 h −1).

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