Pd Nanoparticles Supported on CeVO 4 Bimetallic Oxide for Highly Efficient Solvent‐Free Selective Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol by Ambient Oxygen

ABSTRACT Selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BZA) using molecular oxygen as the oxidant under solvent‐free and atmospheric pressure conditions was a green and promising method for the synthesis of benzaldehyde (BZL). In this study, CeVO 4 material was prepared by a coprecipitation method, and Pd/CeVO 4 catalysts were then fabricated by an impregnation‐reduction method using CeVO 4 as a catalyst support and reduction by H 2 . The characterization results showed that Pd nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on the surface of the CeVO 4 support. The reduction temperature could influence the distributions of two chemical valences of Ce and V cations. In the solvent‐free selective oxidation of (BZA), the 2Pd/CeVO 4 ‐550 catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic performance, with a (BZA) conversion of 75.5% and a BZL selectivity of 96.2%. Based on the characterization results, the superior activity largely depended on the percentages of Ce 3+ and V 4+ species, as well as the small size of Pd nanoparticles. Furthermore, the catalyst could be reused five times without a significant decrease in activity, and no leaching of the active component was observed, demonstrating good stability.