Assembling of Al-MCM-48 supported H3PW12O40 mesoporous materials and their catalytic performances in the green synthesis of benzoic acid

Aluminum substituted MCM-48 (Al-MCM-48) mesoporous molecular sieves was synthesized at mild temperature without using hydrothermal process. It was used for the first time to assemble the supported H3PW12O40 (HPW) mesoporous materials with various HPW loadings. The mesoporous materials were characterized by various techniques and their catalytic activities in the green synthesis of benzoic acid were evaluated under organic solvent-free conditions. The characterizations showed that these mesoporous materials retained the cubic phase of MCM-48 and their textural parameters decreased with increasing loading of HPW. The catalytic results suggested that the supported material was an efficient catalyst for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol and benzaldehyde with 30% H2O2. Furthermore, the sample with 35 wt% loading of 12-tungstophosphoric acid was found to show the highest activity for the oxidation of benzaldehyde under the reaction conditions. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.