Zeolite ZSM-23 materials with different Si/Al ratios were synthesized under static hydrothermal conditions using pyrrolidine as template. The samples obtained were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption/desorption, ICP atom emission, scanning electron microscopy and FTIR of adsorbed pyridine, and were found to be very highly efficient and stable catalysts for the catalytic cracking of C4 alkane.

Bismuth-containing MCM-41 was directly synthesized in strongly acidic media with CPBr as the template. It was shown, for the first time, by ICP, XRD, N2 adsorption/desorption, TEM, SEM, 29Si MAS NMR spectra, UV–vis DRS, and Raman spectroscopy that all of the samples have high surface area and good crystallinity, and all bismuth atoms in Bi-MCM-41 are highly dispersed in the silica-based structure. In addition, XPS spectroscopic data indicate that most of the bismuth enters the internal surface or framework of MCM-41. In the catalytic test, Bi-MCM-41 was found to be a very efficient catalyst for the oxidation of cyclohexane, with oxygen as oxidant, in a solvent-free system, and it behaves truly as a heterogeneous catalyst.

The nano-Au supported mesoporous materials were prepared and characterized by XRD, N2 adsorption/desorption, UV–vis, XPS, and ICP-AES. The liquid-phase selective oxidation cyclohexane to cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone over nano-Au in mesoporous materials catalyst was carried out in a solvent-free system, in which oxygen was the only oxidant and the reaction conditions are very moderate.

Bismuth-incorporated MCM-41, which was directly synthesized under strongly acidic conditions and characterized, for the first time. by XRD, UV-vis and Raman spectroscopy, was used as catalyst for the oxidation of cyclohexane without organic solvent using O-2 as oxidant, and the results of reaction indicate that Bi-MCM-41 is a very stable and efficient catalyst.

A highly efficient, mild, and simple procedure has been described for the oxidation of aldehydes to corresponding esters in alcohols with S.SnO2/SBA-1 as catalyst and H2O2 as the oxidant, and the catalytic systems can be used in the preparation of a broad range of esters. Oxidation of aldehydes to corresponding esters utilizing H2O2 as the oxidant without any metal catalyst is also reported.

A highly efficient oxidation of cyclohexane to cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone is accomplished over calcined Au/ZSM-5 molecular sieve catalyst with oxygen as oxidant.

There has been an increasing interest in recent years in catalytic cracking of mixed C4 alkene to produce ethylene and propylene over zeolite catalysts. Among numerous catalysts which are used in such a process, the zeolite ZSM-23 showed distinctive potential. In this report, pure and well-crystallized ZSM-23 (MTT) catalyst was synthesized under static hydrothermal conditions using pyrrolidine as template. The product obtained was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), ICP atom emission, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal analysis (TGA-DTA) and FTIR of adsorbed pyridine. The ZSM-23 was used as catalyst in mixed C4 alkene cracking and showed very high catalytic activity and yields of ethylene and propylene. The effects of reaction temperature, WHSV crystallite size, pore size and Si/Al ratio on the catalytic activity were also studied in detail.

The 3d-cubic Pm3n Ti-incorporated SBA-1 mesoporous molecular sieves were directly synthesized under strongly acidic conditions and characterized by various techniques. XRD showed that the synthesized mesoporous materials had a well-ordered cubic structure. N2 adsorption/desorption measurements confirmed that the resultant samples had large mesopores (ca. 20Å) and high surface areas (>1000m2g−1). UV–vis and FT-IR results revealed that incorporated titanium species existed in a highly dispersed state and had tetrahedral coordination. SEM is used to determine the particle size and particle morphology of the synthesized materials. A catalytic test using epoxidation of styrene as a probe reaction proved that the framework Ti in the Ti-SBA-1 possessed relatively high activity and selectivity.

The catalytic decomposition of N2O to N2 and O2 was carried out on the ZnxCo1−xCo2O4 (x=0.0–0.98) spinel catalysts. The results showed that the partial replacement of Co2+ by Zn2+ in Co3O4 spinel oxide led to a significant improvement in the catalytic activity for the N2O decomposition, and the catalytic activity depended on the degree of Co2+ substitution by Zn2+. The Zn0.36Co0.64Co2O4 catalyst is the most active in the studied samples. The conversion of N2O reached 100% over the Zn0.36Co0.64Co2O4 catalyst at 200 and 300 °C in the absence and presence of excess O2 and water, respectively.

The catalytic decomposition of N2O to N2 and O2 was carried out on the MxCo1−xCo2O4 (M=Ni2+ and Mg2+, x=0.0–0.99) spinel catalysts. The results showed that the partial replacement of Co2+ by Ni2+ or Mg2+ in Co3O4 spinel oxide led to a significant improvement in the catalytic activity for the N2O decomposition, and the catalytic activity depended on the degree of Co2+ substitution by Ni2+ or Mg2+. The conversion of N2O reached 100% over the Ni0.74Co0.26Co2O4 and Mg0.54Co0.46Co2O4 catalysts at 200°C and 300°C in the absence and presence of excess O2 and water steam, respectively.