Immobilization of palladium in N-heterocyclic carbene functionalized SBA-15 for the catalytic application in aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol

The immobilization of palladium complexes or nanoparticles in N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) modified mesoporous SBA-15 materials was carried out by a post-grafting route. The catalytic properties of these materials were investigated for the aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol. Compared with the supported Pd complexes catalyst, the supported Pd nanoparticles catalyst exhibited much higher activity, recoverability and stability for the title reaction. The combination of NHC ligands and the size-restricted mesopores of SBA-15 should be responsible for the formation of active and stable supported palladium nanoparticles catalyst.