Investigation into the role of MoS2 in the composite of Cu-Cu2O/MoS2 in catalytic aerobic oxidation of benzylic alcohols

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O), as a common transition metal semiconductor material, has found extensive applications and research in the field of catalysis due to its unique physicochemical properties. To improve its catalytic performance, introducing carriers to form composite materials with Cu2O has proven to be a promising strategy for enhancing its stability, activity, and selectivity. In this study, we introduced MoS2 to form a composite material with Cu-Cu2O, investigating the impact of MoS2 on the activity of Cu-Cu2O in selective alcohol oxidation. The results demonstrate a significant improvement in the catalytic activity of Cu-Cu2O upon the introduction of MoS2. Further investigations substantiate the close correlation between the enhanced activity of Cu-Cu2O and the interaction with thin layered MoS2 flakes. The quantity of the thin layered MoS2 is small but its impact on the catalytic activity is significant. It induces changes in the band and electronic structures of Cu-Cu2O, and the changes facilitate the activation of O2 and electron transfer in the oxidation, and thus promote the catalysis.