Simultaneous pore enlargement and introduction of highly dispersed Fe active sites in MSNs for enhanced catalytic activity

► Iron species were introduced into the framework of mesoporous silica nanoparticles with uniform dispersion. ► The pore sizes of the synthesized nanocatalysts were expanded. ► The acidic site quantities were quite high and the acidic centers were accessible. ► The nanocatalysts presented higher yield and selectivity to diphenylmethane with significantly lower Fe content.