Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles embedded in SBA-15 silica wall as a green and recoverable catalyst for the oxidation of alcohols and sulfides

Iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized in situ for the preparation of ordered mesoporous silica SBA-15 through the hydrothermal method to afford Fe2O3/SBA-15 catalyst. The synthesized catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurement, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrophotometry (ICP-AES). The catalytic activity was tested for the oxidation of alcohols and sulfides. Easy recovery, good reusability, high conversion and relatively short reaction times were observed for the mentioned catalyst.