Facile synthesis of Fe-containing graphitic carbon nitride materials and their catalytic application in direct hydroxylation of benzene to phenol

Fe-containing graphitic carbon nitride (Fe-g-C3N4) materials were synthesized via one-step pyrolysis of FeCl3 and dicyandiamide. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized Fe-g-C3N4 samples were characterized by N-2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric, Fourier transform infrared, UV-vis diffuse reflectance, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The Fe cations were anchored by nitrogen-rich g-C3N4-, whereas the graphitic structures of g-C3N4 were retained after the introduction of Fe. As heterogeneous catalysts, Fe-g-C3N4 exhibited good catalytic activity in the direct hydroxylation of benzene to phenol with H2O2, affording a maximum yield of phenol of up to 17.5%. Compared with other Fe- and V-containing g-C3N4 materials, Fe-g-C3N4 features a more convenient preparation procedure and higher catalytic productivity of phenol. (C) 2018, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.