Magnetic-responsive Pickering emulsions based on MFe₂O₄ (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) for green and efficient oxidation of benzyl alcohol

The selective oxidation of alcohols has drawn significant attention in heterogeneous catalysis with the increasing use of Pickering interfacial catalysis (PIC) for green transformations of alcohols. However, it is still highly desirable to design and develop a solid catalyst with easy separation and recycling, made from abundant resources through a simple synthesis route, for the selective oxidation of alcohols. In this study, ferrite nanoparticles, synthesized via a hydrothermal process, were employed to act as a stabilizer and catalyst in PIC for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol using H2O2. The ferrite nanoparticles exhibited higher catalytic performance in PIC than in acetonitrile. The turnover number (TON) of the nanocatalyst in PIC was found to be 1.5-4 times higher than that in acetonitrile, and the reaction constant in PIC (kPIC = 0.712 h-1) was almost twice that in acetonitrile (kCH3CN = 0.310 h-1) for MnFe2O4 nanoparticles. Moreover, other alcohols could also be oxidized with moderately high conversion and selectivity in PIC. Significantly, the ferrite nanocatalyst could be easily separated from PIC using a magnet for reuse, achieving 88% BzOH conversion after five cycles. The use of hazardous organic solvents was avoided in PIC, making it a more advanced, green and sustainable reaction system.