Achieving high yield production of p-methylbenzaldehyde from p-methylstyrene oxidation over Co-doped CeO2 micro-shuttles

The present work introduces a simple strategy for the high yield production of p-methylbenzaldehyde (PMBA) from the selective oxidation of p-methylstyrene (PMS) under mild reaction conditions using Co-doped CeO₂ micro-shuttles. Impressively, a high PMBA yield of 70.1% is achieved, affording a PMS conversion of 93.7% and a selectivity of 74.8% to PMBA. The incorporation of Co into the CeO₂ framework triggers the local structure distortion and charge redistribution within the CeO₂ framework, contributing to the formation of weakened Ce–O bonds, coordinately unsaturated Ce³⁺ sites and oxygen vacancies (OVs). This assists in boosting the generation of active oxygen species for the oxidation of PMS to PMBA. The intrinsic merits of low cost, facile preparation and favorable catalytic performance endow the Co-doped CeO₂ micro-shuttles as a promising catalyst for the industrial production of PMBA from the selective oxidation of PMS.