Mesoporous Assembled Mn3 O4 Nanoparticle Networks as Efficient Catalysts for Selective Oxidation of Alkenes and Aryl Alkanes.

The design of nanoscale materials has been considered important for enhancing their surface properties for catalysis. Metal oxide nanoparticles have a large number of exposed surface active sites, but they suffer from low reactivity and poor stability resulting from excessive aggregation into less active microscopic structures. Herein, the synthesis of mesoporous Mn3 O4 nanoparticle assemblies by polymer-assisted self-assembly is presented and their catalytic activity is demonstrated in the oxidation of various saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons, including aromatic alkenes and aryl alkanes, in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide as a mild oxidant. It is also shown through comparative studies that the high catalytic activity and stability of these Mn3 O4 assemblies arise from the unique three-dimensional open-pore structure, high internal surface area (90 m2  g-1 ) and uniform mesopores (≈6.6 nm in size).