Highly efficient Ni–Co oxide nanoparticles on nitrogen-doped FDU-15 for aerobic benzyl alcohol oxidation

Ni–Co bimetallic oxide catalysts with various loadings and Ni/Co ratios supported on N-doped FDU-15 were prepared by a facile and controllable one-pot method and tested as heterogeneous catalysts for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol. The prepared materials were characterized by a series of characterization techniques such as XRD, TEM, SEM-EDX, FT-IR, XPS, N2 adsorption–desorption, Raman and ICP-AES. Catalytic results showed that 2 wt% Ni–Co3/FDU-15-N possessed very high substrate conversion (93.4%) and excellent benzaldehyde selectivity (97.8%) when using air as the oxidant at 110 °C. This superior catalytic performance over bimetallic catalysts indicated a synergy effect between Ni and Co. The improved redox ability and dispersion of Ni–Co alloying sites also contributed to this enhancement. Additionally, N-doped Ni–Co3/FDU-15-N might strengthen the interaction between NiO, Co3O4 and the support and thus improve the dispersion of the metal oxides.