Facile synthesis of hierarchical hollow Mn-ZSM-5 zeolite for enhanced cyclohexane catalytic oxidation

ZSM-5 zeolite with hollow structure has gained considerable attention due to their unique properties and great potential applications in catalysis field. In this study, hierarchical hollow ZSM-5 zeolite was synthesized via a facile one-pot hydrothermal process during which a few amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was added. The synthesized ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts were characterized by the XRD, BET-BJH, TEM, FE-SEM, EDS, ICP-AES, XPS and intrusion/extrusion mercury analysis. The results showed that such hierarchical hollow ZSM-5 zeolite as micro-reactor after the modification by Mn species displayed excellent activity with a conversion of 98.7% and an overall selectivity of 97.6% for mild oxidation of cyclohexane to cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone (KA oil) at 70 °C, making this type of catalyst a candidate for the production of industrial KA oil. Also, this approach is proved to be a desirable strategy for constructing hollow zeolite micro-ellipsoids by simple and cost-effective manner, thereby, providing a new avenue to be explored in catalysis field.