Enhanced catalytic activity of MnCo-MOF-74 for highly selective aerobic oxidation of substituted toluene

A series of MnCo-MOF-74 catalysts were prepared by incorporating Mn into Co-MOF-74 via a postsynthetic exchange method, and confirmed by different characterization techniques. The resulting catalysts were analyzed in detail for toluene selective oxidation under mild conditions. Compared to the original Co-MOF-74, MnCo-MOF-74 showed enhanced catalytic activity (17.6%) and high selectivity towards benzaldehyde (98.3%). The study of adsorption between toluene and catalysts indicated that MnCo-MOF-74 catalysts benefit from the synergistic effects between the Mn and Co cations incorporated into the same framework, which promoted the efficient transformation of toluene into benzaldehyde. Moreover, MnCo-MOF-74 catalysts also converted various substituted toluene into their corresponding aldehydes under appropriate conditions. This work proposes a strategy for developing metal-organic framework materials with enhanced activity in heterogeneous catalysis.