Nano-Co3O4 supported on magnetic N-doped graphene as highly efficient catalyst for epoxidation of alkenes

Abstract The epoxidation of alkenes to the corresponding epoxides plays a vital role in fine chemical engineering. Magnetic nanocomposite catalyst RGO/Fe 3 O 4 @C -N -Co 3 O 4 (RGO: reduced graphene oxide) involving Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles immobilized on magnetic N-doped graphene was prepared by a hydrothermal method. N-dopants in the RGO/Fe 3 O 4 @C -N -Co 3 O 4 can strengthen the interaction between Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles and the support. RGO/Fe 3 O 4 @C -N -Co 3 O 4 revealed higher catalytic reactivity (i.e. 93.2% conversion of styrene and 88.4% selectivity to styrene oxide) as compared to bulk Co 3 O 4 , and Co 3 O 4 supported on N-free RGO/Fe 3 O 4 @C due to site-isolation, good dispersion of Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles and efficiently synergistic effect between Co 3 O 4 and the magnetic support. In addition, the catalyst displayed good recoverability by simple magnetic separation with negligible loss in activity and selectivity within several successive runs due to superparamagnetism.