Copper nanoparticles embedded into nitrogen-doped carbon fiber felt as recyclable catalyst for benzene oxidation under mild conditions

Herein, an active and stable nanocatalyst based on copper nanoparticles embedded into nitrogen-doped carbon fiber felts (N-CFFs) was fabricated through a co-assembly protocol. The catalytic performance of Cu (20 wt. %)/N-CFF was contributed to its structural and morphological features, which were studied by various char-acterization techniques. The data illustrated that the catalyst showed reasonable activity and excellent selectivity in oxidation of benzene-to-phenol (25.2 and 100% for yield and selectivity respectively) in the presence of an environmentally-friendly oxidant. Furthermore, the microscopic catalyst kept its long-term performance until nine successive runs, which turns it into a bulk alternative in large-scale schemes.