Monodispersed NiO Nanoparticles into SBA-15: An Efficient Nanocatalyst to Produce Ketone-Alcohol (KA) Oil by the Oxidation of Cyclohexane in Mild Conditions

A simple and efficient approach to preparing highly efficient and reusable NiO@SBA-15 nanocatalysts for the oxidation of cyclohexane to produce ketone-alcohol (KA) oil was reported. These nanocatalysts were prepared by the dispersion of NiO NPs into SBA-15 using a coordination-assisted grafting method. In this approach, four commercially available nickel salts were immobilized into amino-functionalized SBA-15. After washing and calcination, four new nanocatalysts were obtained. The high dispersion of NiO NPs into SBA-15 was confirmed by HR-TEM and XRD. Different oxidants such as O₂, H₂O₂, t-butyl hydrogen peroxide (TBHP), and meta-Chloroperoxybenzoic acid (m-CPBA) were evaluated. However, m-CPBA exhibited the highest catalytic activity. Compared to different catalysts reported in the literature, for the first time, 75–99% of cyclohexane was converted to KA oil over NiO@SBA-15. In addition, the cyclohexane conversion and K/A ratio were affected by the reaction time, catalyst dose, Ni content, and NiO dispersion. Moreover, NiO@SBA-15 maintained a high catalytic activity during five successive cycles.