Synthesis of Cu/SBA-16 catalysts and their catalytic performance for hydroxylation of phenol

Aimed at studying the catalytic activity of the mesoporous catalysts,this paper introduces the preparation of mesoporous Cu/SBA - 16 catalysts with 3-D pore structure by modified impregnation method with pH adjustment and the investigation into the effects of pH and Cu loading on catalytic activity of phenol hydroxylation by catalytic activity test,XRD,TEM,AAS,N_2 adsorption-desorption and H_2- TPR.The results show that the Cu/SBA - 16(w(Cu) =7.2%) catalyst synthesized at pH value of 7.0 exhibits better catalytic performance for phenol hydroxylation.The cubic cage-like pore structure of SBA - 16 was well maintained after introduction of Cu species.With Cu of less than 16.3%,Cu species occur mainly in the form of highly dispersed CuO in the pores of the Cu/SBA - 16 catalysts,and these CuO species play a key role in hydroxylation of phenol.This study provides a basis for the further investigation into the relationship of structure and catalytic properties for the Cu/SBA - 16 catalysts.