Improved Durability and Activity of FeVO 4 toward Photocatalytic Benzene Hydroxylation by Atomic Layer Deposited Al 2 O 3

Abstract Selective hydroxylation of benzene to phenol over a visible light driven photocatalyst is a sustainable approach for the green synthesis of phenol. Iron vanadate (FeVO 4 ) nanorods with an intrinsic photo‐Fenton catalytic behavior toward H 2 O 2 activation is a promising candidate photocatalyst for the benzene hydroxylation reaction; however, its photocatalytic performance was greatly limited by the serious leaching of metals during the hydroxylation process. Herein, it has been demonstrated that this issue can be well addressed by the conformably coating of FeVO 4 nanorods with an atomically‐precise thickness controlled dense Al 2 O 3 layer (FeVO 4 @Al 2 O 3 ) through the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology. The Al 2 O 3 nanolayer can well protect the FeVO 4 nanorods from directly contacting with the reaction solution, thus effectively suppressing the leaching of metals during the photocatalytic hydroxylation process. In addition, the Al 2 O 3 coating on FeVO 4 also facilitates the kinetic control of heterogeneous benzene hydroxylation reaction over the catalyst surface, such as the benzene adsorption behavior and the photo‐Fenton activation of H 2 O 2 . As a result, FeVO 4 @Al 2 O 3 exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic performance with a good durability in the long‐term production of phenol.