Direct hydroxylation of benzene to phenol over metal oxide supported graphene oxide catalysts

A series of metal oxide (V, Fe, Cu) supported graphene oxide (M/GO) catalysts have been prepared by the impregnation method. The catalysts were characterized by TEM, XRD, FT-IR, and Raman spectroscopies and the results showed that the metal oxide nanoparticles were highly dispersed and successfully incorporated on graphene oxide sheets. Among the catalysts, V/GO exhibited the highest efficiency in direct hydroxylation of benzene using H2O2 as an oxidant in acetic acid solvent with a phenol yield of 22.7% and a selectivity of 98.4% under the optimized condition along with good recycle performance.