Synthesis and Characterization of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Supported on Ziconia and Its Application in the Gas-Phase Oxidation of Cyclohexanol to Cyclohexanone

Abstract

Iron oxide nanoparticles supported on zirconia were prepared by precipitation-deposition method and characte-rized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, TGA/DTA, surface area and particle size analysis. Catalytic activities of the cata-lysts were tested in the gas-phase conversion of cyclohexanol in a fixed-bed flow type, Pyrex glass reactor, at 433 -463 K. Major detected products were cyclohexanone, cyclohexene and benzene, depending on the used catalyst. The rate of reaction was significantly raised by the introduction of molecular oxygen in the feed gas, thereby suggesting the oxidation of cyclohexanol to cyclohexanone. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of iron oxide na-noparticles supported on zirconia treated with hydrogen at 553 K for 2 hours, was more selective and better than the unreduced iron oxide nanoparticles supported on zirconia, in the gas-phase oxidation of cyclohexanol to cyc-lohexanone. Experimental results showed that there was no leaching of metal, and that the catalyst was thus tru-ly heterogeneous.