The synthesis of N, S-codoped ordered mesoporous carbon as an efficient metal-free catalyst for selective oxidation of arylalkanes

The N, S-codoped mesoporous carbon catalysts are prepared with a template method by using SBA-15 as the hard template, and phenanthroline and KSCN as the nitrogen and sulfur precursors. The catalyst calcined at 900 degrees C with relatively high specific surface areas and uniform pore sizes displays the highest catalytic performance among the obtained catalysts for selective oxidation of ethylbenzene, which is attributed to the unique architectures and the synergistic effect of pyridinic-N, graphitic-N, and thiophene-S. The excellent catalytic performance and facile preparation process enable the catalyst to be a promising metal-free substitute for selective oxidation of arylalkanes.