NiO promoted CuO–NiO/SBA-15 composites as highly active catalysts for epoxidation of olefins

In this paper, CuO–NiO supported on mesoporous silica SBA-15 was developed using the ultrasonic post-grafting method. The bi-metallic oxides were well-dispersed in very small sizes in the mesoporous channels, and the presence of NiO enhanced the surface content of CuO, leading to a redistribution of CuO and good dispersion of CuO nanoparticles, which were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), XRD and N2 adsorption and desorption isotherm examination. Compared with the CuO/SBA-15 or NiO/SBA-15, the electron transfer that occurred between the two metal oxides and high dispersion of the active components improved the overall selective olefin oxidation.