Polyacrylonitrile/cellulose nanofibers supported gold nanoparticles for liquid-phase aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde

Abstract

Abstract Polyacrylonitrile-cellulose (PC) nanofibers with average diameters of 195 - 327 nm were prepared by an electrospinning method and used as support of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for liquid-phase aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. AuNPs with an average particle size of 6.5 nm were finely formed and dispersed on the surface of PC nanofibers, and their presence was essential to promote the oxidation reaction. The AuNPs/PC_3-1 sample, with a PC blend ratio of 3:1, resulted in 70.2 % benzyl alcohol conversion and 100 % benzaldehyde selectivity within 3 h. The catalyst could be recycled and reused up to four times with a relatively small reduction in catalytic activity. A mechanism for the reaction was proposed, in which the AuNPs and the -OH groups of cellulose were supposed to be the active sites of O2 and benzyl alcohol, respectively.