Expediting Ethylbenzene Oxidation via a Bimetallic Cobalt–Manganese Spinel Structure with a Modulated Electronic Environment

The catalytic oxidation of ethylbenzene (EB) into acetophenone (AP) is a vibrant area, with a growing number of researchers paying attention to this thematic investigation. Herein, we demonstrate that spinel-type (Co,Mn)(Co,Mn)2O4 can function as an efficient catalyst for the solvent-free oxidation of EB with molecular oxygen. The incorporation of Mn into the Co3O4 network can break the local structural symmetry of Co–O–Co linkages due to the bond competition, inducing the formation of an asymmetrical Co–O–Mn configuration with an electron local exchange interaction. The Co–O–Mn sites can facilitate the perturbation of nonpolar O2 and thus contribute to the generation of abundant •O2– species for initiating the oxidation of EB. We envision that this study not only provides a promising catalyst for EB oxidation but also affords a new insight into the design of advanced spinel oxides for selective oxidation reactions.