Interfacial CoOx Layers on TiO2 as an Efficient Catalyst for Solvent-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Hydrocarbons.

Construction of efficient interfaces to improve the performance of supported metal catalysts is a challenging but effective technique. A newly synthesized catalyst with layered cobalt oxide on the surface of titania (layer-CoOx /TiO2 ) is highly selective towards the aerobic oxidation of C-H bonds in a series of hydrocarbons under sustainable conditions. The layer-CoOx /TiO2 easily outperforms the state-of-the-art noble metal catalysts and homogeneous cobalt salts used in industry. In-depth structural and functional characterization reveal that the layer-CoOx /TiO2 readily reacts with O2 for the adsorption and activation of C-H bonds. The layered structure of CoOx can maximize the interfacial effect of CoOx /TiO2 leading to a good performance for the oxidation of C-H bonds.