Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2012, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (8): 1347-1353.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(11)60422-1

• Research papers • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Photocatalytic Synthesis of Phenol by Direct Hydroxylation of Benzene by a Modified Nanoporous Silica (LUS-1) under Sunlight

Ghasem SHIRAVAND1, Alireza BADIEI1,*, Ghodsi Mohammadi ZIARANI2, Morteza JAFARABADI1, Majid HAMZEHLOO1   

  1. 1School of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran; 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
  • Received:2012-01-21 Revised:2012-05-30 Online:2012-08-01 Published:2012-08-01

Abstract: Fe-g-C3N4-LUS-1 was prepared by the thermal decomposition of dicyandiamide inside the pores of LUS-1 under an inert atmosphere. It was used as a photocatalyst for the hydroxylation of benzene to phenol in sunlight. The catalysts were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. In Fe-g-C3N4-LUS-1, a single layer of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was formed on the surface of LUS-1. The photocatalytic activity of the iron containing g-C3N4 based catalysts was investigated, and the catalytic activity was remarkably enhanced when the reaction condition was changed from dark to sunlight. The best result was obtained with 20%Fe-g-C3N4-LUS-1 in sunlight.