Catalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol on Au or Au–Pd nanoparticles confined in mesoporous silica

In this paper, we report the synthesis of Au/SBA-15 and Au–Pd/SBA-15 materials by impregnation and grafting methods. It was found that the Au–Pd/SBA-15 sample prepared by the grafting method could highly disperse metal nanoparticles in mesoporous channels of SBA-15 and exhibit excellent catalytic performances for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde at mild reaction conditions (air atmosphere, 80 °C). The prevention of agglomeration and leaching of gold nanoparticles by restricting them inside the mesopores of SBA-15 leads to a high stability of Au–Pd/SBA-15. In both approaches, the addition of Pd to Au/SBA-15 catalysts can decrease the size of gold nanoparticles, which attributes to higher activity for the selective aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol.