Catalytic oxidation of styrene by manganese(II) bipyridine complex cations immobilized in mesoporous Al-MCM-41

Manganese 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) complex cations, [Mn(bpy)₂]²⁺, have been immobilized in mesoporous Al-MCM-41 (Si/Al=9) and used as a catalyst for the oxidation of styrene by iodosylbenzene, H₂O₂ and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP). The oxidation products included epoxide, diol and aldehyde. Al-MCM-41-immobilized [Mn(bpy)₂]²⁺ exhibited a higher catalytic activity for styrene oxidation than the corresponding homogeneous catalyst and showed no significant loss of catalytic activity when recycled. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermal behaviour of Cu–Mg–Mn and Ni–Mg–Mn layered double hydroxides and characterization of formed oxides

Thermal behaviour of synthetic Cu–Mg–Mn and Ni–Mg–Mn layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with M^II/Mg/Mn molar ratio of 1:1:1 was studied in the temperature range 200–1100 °C by thermal analysis (TG/DTA/EGA), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and voltammetry of microparticles. Powder XRD patterns of prepared LDHs showed characteristic hydrotalcite-like phases, but further phases were indirectly found as admixtures. The Cu–Mg–Mn precipitate was decomposed at temperatures up to ca. 200 °C to form an XRD-amorphous mixture of oxides. The crystallization of CuO (tenorite) and a spinel type mixed oxide of varying composition Cu_xMg_yMn_zO₄ with Mn⁴⁺ was detected at 300–500 °C. At high temperatures (900–1000 °C), tenorite disappeared and a consecutive crystallization of 2CuO·MgO (gueggonite) was observed. The high-temperature transformation of oxide phases led to a formation of Cu^I oxides accompanied by oxygen evolution. The DTA curve of Ni–Mg–Mn sample exhibited two endothermic effects characteristic for hydrotalcite-like compounds. The first one with minimum at 190 °C can be ascribed to a loss of interlayer water, the second one with minimum at 305 °C to the sample decomposition. Heating of the Ni–Mg–Mn sample at 300 °C led to the onset of crystallization of oxide phases identified as Ni_xMg_yMn_zO₄ spinel, (Ni,Mg)O oxide containing Mn⁴⁺ cations, and easily reducible XRD-amorphous species, probably free Mn^III,IV oxides. At 600 °C (Raman spectroscopy) and 700 °C (XRD), the (Ni,Mg)₆MnO₈ oxide with murdochite structure together with spinel phase were detected. Only spinel and (Ni,Mg)O were found after heating at 900 °C and higher temperatures. Temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) profiles of calcined Cu–Mg–Mn samples exhibited a single reduction peak with maximum around 250 °C. The highest H₂ consumption was observed for the sample calcined at 800 °C. The reduction of Ni–Mg–Mn samples proceeded by a more complex way and the TPR profiles reflected the phase composition changing depending on the calcination temperature.     

Electrochemical oxidation of manganese(II) at a platinum electrode

Electrochemical oxidation of Mn²⁺ in sulphuric acid to form MnO₂ was studied using stationary and rotating platinum/platinum ring-disc electrodes. It appears that nucleation of MnO₂ is governed by an equilibrium involving a Mn(III) intermediate. Growth of MnO₂ involves the reduction of MnO₂ surfaces by Mn²⁺ ions in the solution to form MnOOH intermediates. The subsequent electrochemical oxidation of MnOOH releases a hydrogen ion and results in the formation of MnO₂. The rate constant of MnOOH oxidation to MnO₂ was estimated to be 40 s^–1. With a sufficient supply of Mn²⁺ ions, a layer of MnOOH is built up and the in-solid diffusion of hydrogen ions becomes the ratedetermining-step. With a low Mn²⁺ concentration, diffusion of Mn²⁺ ions from bulk electrolyte to the MnO₂/electrolyte interface is a factor controlling the growth of MnO₂. The activation energy and the pre-exponential term of the diffusion coefficient of Mn²⁺ in 0.5m sulphuric acid were determined to be 44.8 kJ mol^–1 and 100 cm² s^–1, respectively.     

Catalytic decomposition of alcohols over size-selected Pt nanoparticles supported on ZrO2: A study of activity, selectivity, and stability

This article discusses the performance of ZrO₂-supported size-selected Pt nanoparticles for the decomposition of methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, and 2-butanol. The potential of each alcohol for the production of H₂ and other relevant products in the presence of a catalyst is studied in a packed-bed mass flow reactor operating at atmospheric pressure. All the alcohols studied show some decomposition activity below 200 °C which increased with increasing temperature. In all cases, high selectivity towards H₂ formation is observed. With the exception of methanol, all alcohol conversion reactions lead to catalyst deactivation at high temperatures (T > 250 °C for 2-propanol and 2-butanol, T > 325 °C for ethanol) due to carbon poisoning. However, long-term catalyst deactivation can be avoided by optimizing reaction conditions such as operating temperature.     

Photooxidation of N,N-bis(3,5-di-tert.-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-diamino hexane-manganese(III) chloride (Jacobsen catalyst) in chloroform

Mn^III(J-salen)Cl (Jacobsen catalyst) with J-salen=N,N^′-bis(3,5-di-tert.-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane dianion in CHCl₃ is photooxidized by the solvent to a Mn^IV(J-salen) complex, presumably Mn^IV(J-salen)Cl₂, with φ=0.002 at λ_irr=333 nm.     

Effect of large cations (La and Ba) on the catalytic performance of Mn-substituted hexaaluminates for N2O decomposition

Mn-substituted La-hexaaluminate (LaMn_xAl_(12−x)O₁₉) and Ba-hexaaluminate (BaMn_xAl_(12−x)O₁₉) catalysts were prepared using the carbonates route and investigated for high-concentration of N₂O decomposition. It was for the first time found that the Ba-hexaaluminate exhibited higher activity than the La-hexaaluminate at a given Mn content, both of which were much more active than Mn/Al₂O₃ after being subjected to high-temperature (1400 °C) treatment. The catalytic activity varied with the Mn content and attained the best one at x = 1. X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterizations showed that a small amount of Mn (up to x = 1) promoted greatly the formation of phase-pure hexaaluminate, while excess Mn caused formation of catalytically inactive impurity phases, such as LaAlO₃, BaAl₂O₄, Mn₃O₄, and LaMnO₃, which covered partially the active sites and then led to a loss of the activity. UV–visible spectra showed that Mn²⁺ preferentially enter tetrahedral Al sites at a low Mn content (x = 0.5) for the La-hexaaluminate, which is quite different from the case of Ba-hexaaluminate where Mn³⁺ can substitute octahedral Al sites even at x = 0.5. Such a difference in the number of catalytically active Mn³⁺ sites in the octahedral position should be responsible for the higher activity of the Mn-substituted Ba-hexaaluminate.     

Methyl ethyl ketone combustion over La-transition metal (Cr, Co, Ni, Mn) perovskites

A series of LaBO₃ (B = Cr, Co, Ni, Mn) and La_0.9K_0.1MnO_3+δ perovskites have been prepared and tested as catalysts in the combustion of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) at two concentration levels in air. Complete MEK conversion can be achieved for the most concentrated stream (1250 ppmv, WHSV = 425 h⁻¹) at temperatures between 270 °C (manganite) and 345 °C (chromite). Activity is governed by the nature of the cation in position B and related to reducibility, being comparable for manganite activity with that of the much more expensive Pt-supported catalysts. Doping with K of lanthanum manganite produces an increase in surface area, as well as the formation of non-stoichiometric oxygen and a greater proportion of Mn⁴⁺ on the surface. All these factors may have a role in increasing its activity for catalytic combustion. Catalytic results suggest a marked influence of MEK concentration on the combustion rate. MEK oxidation to CO₂ goes through acetaldehyde as intermediate product; methyl vinyl ketone and diacetyl (2,3-butanedione) were also formed, albeit in very low amounts. Nevertheless, acetaldehyde yield is zero at complete conversion, so the combustion of MEK can be carried out over these perovskite systems with 100% selectivity for CO₂.     

Hydrogenation of quinoline by ruthenium nanoparticles immobilized on poly(4-vinylpyridine)

A series of catalysts composed of ruthenium nanoparticles immobilized on poly(4-vinylpyridine) was prepared by NaBH₄ reduction of RuCl₃ · 3H₂O in methanol in the presence of the polymer; TEM measurements of a 10 wt% Ru/P4VPy material indicate that ruthenium particles of 1–2 nm predominate. This catalyst is efficient for the selective hydrogenation of quinoline to 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline at 100–120 °C and 30–40 bar H₂. The activity increases with hydrogen pressure up to 40 bar but is essentially independent of quinoline concentration. Polar solvents, triethylamine, and acetic acid enhance catalytic performance, suggesting an ionic mechanism involving heterolytic hydrogen activation.     

Highly efficient complete oxidation of dilute benzene over ultrafine Cu0.1Ce0.5Zr0.4O2−δ catalyst in a fluidized bed reactor

Ultrafine Cu_0.1Ce_0.5Zr_0.4O_2−δ catalyst operated in a fluidized bed reactor was found to be very effective for complete oxidation of dilute benzene in air. The complete conversion of benzene could be achieved at reaction temperature as low as 220 °C. The mechanism of benzene oxidation over the Cu_0.1Ce_0.5Zr_0.4O_2−δ catalyst was investigated by conducting pulse reaction of pure benzene in the absence of O₂ over the catalyst and the results indicated the involvement of lattice oxygen from the catalyst in benzene oxidation.     

Phase separation temperatures in the polystyrene—poly(α-methyl styrene)—methylcyclohexane system

The phase separation temperatures (PST) in the ternary system polystyrene (PS) (M_w = 1.75 × 10⁴ g mol⁻¹ — poly(α-methyl styrene) (PαMS) (M_w = 6.0 × 10⁴) — methylcyclohexane (MCH) and the binary systems PS-MCH and PαMS-MCH have been determined by using a He---Ne laser light-scattering apparatus over the total polymer weight fraction (W_{PS + PαMS}) range of 0.018 to 0.80 and various polymer blend ratios. The PST determined at a scattering angle of 0° agreed with those at 90° for the binary systems over polymer concentrations of 0.1 to 0.7 and for the ternary over W_{PS + PαMS} of higher than 0.3. Deviations of the PST determined at an angle of 90° from those at 0° were observed in the ternary system when W_{PS + PαMS} was lower than 0.3. Two phase separation temperatures, at which the intensity scattered from zero angle changed discontinuously, are observed at concentrations lower than W_{PS + PαMS} = 0.042 in the ternary system. The PST in the ternary system decreases monotonically with increasing W_{PS + PαMS} over 0.3 to 0.7. The phase diagram for the PS-PαMS-MCH system at W_{PS + PαMS} = 0.8 is characterized by a maximum PST around − 14°C.     

Effect of sintering on the catalytic activity of a Pt based catalyst for CO oxidation: Experiments and modeling

The goal of this paper was to make the link between sintering of a 1.6% Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst and its activity for CO oxidation reaction. Thermal aging of this catalyst for different durations ranging from 15 min to 16 h, at 600 and 700 °C, under 7% O₂, led to a shift of the platinum particle size distributions towards larger diameters, due to sintering. These distributions were studied by transmission electron microscopy. The number and the surface average diameters of platinum particles increase from 1.3 to 8.9 nm and 2.1 to 12.8 nm, respectively, after 16 h aging at 600 °C. The catalytic activity for CO oxidation under different CO and O₂ inlet concentrations decreases after aging the catalyst. The light-off temperature increased by 48 °C when the catalyst was aged for 16 h at 600 °C. The CO oxidation reaction is structure sensitive with a catalytic activity increasing with the platinum particle size. To account for this size effect, two intrinsic kinetic constants, related either to platinum atoms on planar faces or atoms on edges and corners were defined. A platinum site located on a planar face was found to be 2.5 more active than a platinum site on edges or corners, whatever the temperature. The global kinetic law {r (mol m⁻² s⁻¹) = 103 × exp(−64,500/RT)[O₂]^0.74[CO]^−0.5)} related to a reaction occurring on a platinum atom located on planar faces allows a simulation of the CO conversion curves during a temperature ramp. Modeling of the catalytic CO conversion during a temperature ramp, using the different aged catalysts, allows prediction of the CO conversion curves over a wide range of experimental conditions.     

制备方法对BaNi0.2Mn0.8Al11O19－δ催化燃烧二甲醚的催化活性的影响

Catalytic combustion of dimethyl ether （DME） over hexaaluminate catalyst BaNi0.2Mn0.8Al11O19-δ has been investigated. The catalysts were prepared with the sol-gel method and reverse microemulsion method respectively and characterized by thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction and transimission electron microscope. It was found that the formation of Mn, Ni modified hexaaluminate was a relatively slow process via two solid state reactions and spinel structure was a transition phase. At the same calcined temperature and time, the catalyst prepared with the reverse microemulsion method could form the hexaaluminate phase more easily than that prepared with the sol-gel method. The catalyst BaNi0.2Mn0.8Al11O19-δ prepared with the reverse micro-emulsion method appeared a plate-like morphology, while it appeared a needle-like morphology when using the sol-gel method. The catalytic activities of catalysts BaNi0.2Mn0.8Al11O19-δ prepared with two different methods for DME combustion were tested. It showed that catalyst prepared with the reverse microemulsion method had better catalytic activity, i.e. T10% of DME had decreased by 45℃, about 90% conversion of diemthyl ether at 380℃.     

Effective MgO surface doping of Cu/Zn/Al oxides as water–gas shift catalysts

Trace amounts of MgO were doped on Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalysts with the Cu/Zn/Al molar ratio of 45/45/10 and tested for the water–gas shift (WGS) reaction. A mixture of Zn(Cu)–Al hydrotalcite (HT) and Cu/Zn aurichalcite was prepared by co-precipitation (cp) of the metal nitrates and calcined at 300 °C to form the catalyst precursor. When the precursor was dispersed in an aqueous solution of Mg(II) nitrate, HT was reconstituted by the “memory effect.” During this procedure, the catalyst particle surface was modified by MgO-doping, leading to a high sustainability. Contrarily, cp-Mg/Cu/Zn/Al prepared by Mg²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Al³⁺ co-precipitation as a control exhibited high activity but low sustainability. Mg²⁺ ions were enriched in the surface layer of m-Mg–Cu/Zn/Al, whereas Mg²⁺ ions were homogeneously distributed throughout the particles of cp-Mg/Cu/Zn/Al. CuO particles were significantly sintered on the m-catalyst during the dispersion, whereas CuO particles were highly dispersed on the cp-catalyst. However, the m-catalyst was more sustainable against sintering than the cp-catalyst. Judging from TOF, the surface doping of MgO more efficiently enhanced an intrinsic activity of the m-catalyst than the cp-catalyst. Trace amounts of MgO on the catalyst surface were enough to enhance both activity and sustainability of the m-catalyst by accelerating the reduction–oxidation between Cu⁰ and Cu⁺ and by suppressing Cu⁰ (or Cu⁺) oxidation to Cu²⁺.     

Noble metal-doped perovskites for the oxidation of organic air pollutants

Ag-Pt- and Pd-doped LaMnO₃-based perovskite catalysts were prepared and their activity in the oxidation of toluene, n-heptane and ethanol was investigated. The activity of LaMnO₃-based catalyst was very high in the oxidation of each compound tested. The Ag-doped catalyst was the most active in the oxidation of each compound and it displayed the highest BET specific surface area (SSA) also. The influence of Pt or Pd doping on perovskite activity is negligibly small. Pt-doped catalysts are slightly more active while Pd-doped catalysts are slightly less active than the pure perovskite. Thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) for the catalyst precursor indicates that above 500 °C a perovskite structure began to form. The XRD analysis reveals the presence of the LaMnO_3.15 perovskite phase and, additionally, the presence of some metal oxide phases (e.g. La₂O₂CO₃, Mn₂O₃) and carbon. BET SSA measured after the oxidation tests was found to decrease for each catalyst. There was no relation between the chemical composition of the catalyst and the loss of SSA.     

Deactivation phenomena during catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of phenol over platinum catalysts supported on ceria and ceria–zirconia mixed oxides

Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of aqueous solution of phenol was carried out with pure oxygen at 160 °C in a stirred batch reactor on platinum supported oxide catalysts (Pt/CeO₂^c calcined at 650 and 800 °C and Pt/Ce_xZr_1 − xO₂ with x = 0.90, 0.75 and 0.50). The catalysts were characterized before (BET, FT-IR spectroscopy, hydrogen chemisorptions, oxygen storage capacity (OSC)) and after reaction (TPO, elementary analysis, GC–MS and DTA–TGA). The results demonstrate a poisoning of the catalysts during CWAO reaction due to the formation of different forms of carbon deposit on the materials: carbonates and polymeric carbon species. This poisoning phenomenon is limited by the introduction of 50% of zirconium into ceria lattice for the catalysts presenting the lowest surface area. Polymeric deposits play a major role in the catalyst deactivation.     

Chlorobenzene total oxidation over palladium supported on ZrO2, TiO2 nanostructured supports

Two series of supported Pd catalysts were synthesized on new mesoporous–macroporous supports (ZrO₂, TiO₂) labelled M (Zr and Ti). The deposition of palladium was carried out by wet impregnation on the calcined TiO₂ and ZrO₂ supports at 400 °C (Pd/Zr₄, Pd/Ti₄) and 600 °C (Pd/Zr₆, Pd/Ti₆) and followed by a calcination at 400 °C for 4 h. The pre-reduced Pd/MX catalysts were investigated for the chlorobenzene total oxidation and their catalytic properties where compared to those of a reference catalyst Pd/Ti-Ref (TiO₂ from Huntsman Tioxide recalcined at 500 °C) and of a palladium supported on the fresh mesoporous–macroporous TiO₂ (Pd/Ti). Based on the activity determined by T₅₀, the Pd/Ti and Pd/Ti₄ catalysts have been found to be more active than the reference one. Moreover activity decreased owing to the sequence: Pd/TiX  Pd/ZrX and in each series when the temperature of calcination of the support was raised. The overall results clearly showed that the activity was dependant on the nature of the support. The better activity of Pd/TiX compared to Pd/ZrX was likely due to a better reducibility of the TiO₂ support (Ti⁴⁺ into Ti³⁺) leading to an enhancement of the oxygen mobility. Production of polychlorinated benzenes PhCl_x (x = 2–6) and of Cl₂ was also observed. Nevertheless at 500 °C the selectivity in HCl was higher than 90% for the best catalysts.     

Nano-gold supported on Fe2O3: A highly active catalyst for low temperature oxidative destruction of methane green house gas from exhaust/waste gases

A number of nano-gold catalysts were prepared by depositing gold on different metal oxides (viz. Fe₂O₃, Al₂O₃, Co₃O₄, MnO₂, CeO₂, MgO, Ga₂O₃ and TiO₂), using the homogeneous deposition precipitation (HDP) technique. The catalysts were evaluated for their performance in the combustion of methane (1 mol% in air) at different temperatures (300–600 °C) for a GHSV of 51,000 h⁻¹. The supported nano-gold catalysts have been characterized for their gold loading (by ICP) and gold particle size (by TEM/HRTEM or XRD peak broadening). Among these nano-gold catalysts, the Au/Fe₂O₃ (Au loading = 6.1% and Au particle size = 8.5 nm) showed excellent performance. For this catalyst, temperature required for half the methane combustion was 387 °C, which is lower than that required for Pd(1%)/Al₂O₃ (400 °C) and Pt(1%)/Al₂O₃ (500 °C) under identical conditions. A detailed investigation on the influence of space velocity (GHSV = 10,000–100,000 cm³ g⁻¹ h⁻¹) at different temperatures (200–600 °C) on the oxidative destruction of methane over the Au/Fe₂O₃ catalyst has also been carried out. The Au/Fe₂O₃ catalyst prepared by the HDP method showed much higher methane combustion activity than that prepared by the conventional deposition precipitation (DP) method. The XPS analysis showed the presence of Au in the different oxidation states (Au⁰, Au¹⁺ and Au³⁺) in the catalyst.     

Characterization of sepiolite as a support of silver catalyst in soot combustion

Turkish sepiolite–zirconium oxide mixtures were applied as a support for the silver catalyst in a soot combustion. Sepiolite–Zr–K–Ag–O catalyst was characterized by XRD, N₂ adsorption, SEM, TPR-H₂ and EGA-MS. The combustion of soot was studied with a thermobalance (TG-DTA). The modification resulted in a partial degradation of the sepiolite structure, however, the morphology was preserved. The adsorption of N₂ of the modified sepiolite is a characteristic for mesoporous materials with a wide distribution of pores. The specific surface area S_BET equals 83 m²/g and the pores volume is 0.23 cm³/g. The basic character of the surface centers of sepiolite is indicated by CO₂ desorption (TPD-MS) at 170 °C and at about 620 °C due to a surface carbonates decomposition. The thermodesorption of oxygen at 650–850 °C indicates the decomposition of AgO_x phases at the surface. The presence of AgO_x phases is also confirmed by TPR-H₂ spectrum (low temperature reduction peak at 130 and 180 °C). The high-temperature reduction at about 570 °C is probably related to Ag–O–M phases on the support.The soot combustion takes place at T₅₀ = 575 °C. Without silver (sepiolite–Zr–K–O) T₅₀ = 560 °C but sepiolite modified with silver (sepiolite–Zr–K–Ag–O) undergoes the same process at T₅₀ = 490 °C.     

Structure of a methylamine sorption complex of fully dehydrated Cd-exchanged zeolite X, Cd46(CH3NH2)16[Si100Al92O384]-FAU

The structure of a methylamine sorption complex of fully dehydrated, fully Cd²⁺-exchanged zeolite X, Cd₄₆(CH₃NH₂)₁₆[Si₁₀₀Al₉₂O₃₈₄]-FAU (a = 24.863(4) Å), has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques in the cubic space group at 21(1) °C. An aqueous exchange solution 0.05 M in Cd²⁺ was allowed to flow past the crystal for 5 days. The crystal was then dehydrated at 480 °C and 2 × 10⁻⁶ Torr for 2 days (colorless), and exposed to 160 Torr of methylamine gas at 21(1) °C for 2 h (yellow). Diffraction data were then gathered in this atmosphere and were refined using all data to the final error indices (based upon the 524 reflections for which F_o > 4σ(F_o)) of R₁ = 0.069 and wR₂ = 0.200. In this structure, Cd²⁺ ions occupy three crystallographic sites. The octahedral sites I at the centers of the hexagonal prisms are filled with 16 Cd²⁺ ions per unit cell (Cd–O = 2.369(8) Å). The remaining 30 Cd²⁺ ions are located at two non-equivalent sites II with occupancies of 14 and 16. The 16 methylamine molecules per unit cell lie in the supercage where each interacts with one of the latter 16 site-II Cd²⁺ ions: N–Cd = 2.11(8) Å. The imprecisely determined N–C bond length, 1.49(22) Å, agrees with that in gaseous methylamine, 1.474 Å. The positions of the hydrogen atoms were calculated. It appears that one of the amino hydrogen atoms hydrogen bonds to a 6-ring oxygen, and that the other forms a bifurcated hydrogen bond to this and another 6-ring oxygen. The methyl group is not involved in hydrogen bonding.     

A simple co-impregnation route to load highly dispersed Fe(III) centers into the pore structure of SBA-15 and the extraordinarily high catalytic performance

Highly dispersed iron centers supported on SBA-15 were successfully prepared via a simple incipient wetness co-impregnation route by casting furfuryl alcohol (FA) solution of iron (III) acetylacetonate (Fe(acac)₃), which were used as carbon and iron sources, respectively, into the pore structure of SBA-15, followed by the subsequent removal of carbonized FA. Various techniques such as XRD, TEM, N₂ sorption, UV–vis, XPS and EPR, were employed to characterize the prepared catalysts. It was shown that both Fe₂O₃ nanoclusters and isolated iron species were present and highly dispersed onto the pore surface of SBA-15, due to the presence of abundant carbon source co-impregnated, with well-maintained, highly ordered and open mesoporous structure. A great number of acidities was introduced by the loading of Fe₂O₃, and the catalytic performance was tested on the Friedel–Crafts benzylation of benzene by benzyl chloride. Under the optimized reaction condition, the catalyst showed a superior catalytic performance with a 100% yield of monoalkylated product within 1.5 min at 60 °C. The catalyst demonstrated high reusability and stability, the yield of diphenylmethane was still higher than 90% after 6 runs. Moreover, the catalyst was still active at the temperature as low as 40 °C. Such a strategy is verified applicable to prepare other well-dispersed metal oxides, i.e. Mn_xO_y loaded into the pore structure of mesoporous materials.