Mesoporous carbon-confined Au catalysts with superior activity for selective oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid

A series of ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC)-supported Au catalysts were successfully prepared by nano-replication, followed by colloidal gold deposition method. Structural analysis showed that the mesopore sizes of the catalysts can be tuned controllably in the range of 3.2–7.6 nm by adjusting the dosage of boric acid used to prepare the carbon supports. TEM observations revealed that the Au nanoparticles were dispersed uniformly in the mesopore channels of the carbon supports. These Au/OMC catalysts were tested for the aerobic oxidation of glucose to produce gluconic acid at 40 °C and pH 9. As demonstrated by the structural analysis and reaction results, the activities of these catalysts were closely related to their mesopore sizes. The catalyst with a mesopore size of 5.4 nm exhibited a superior catalytic activity with a TOF of 4.308 molglucose molAu−1 s−1 to the catalysts reported previously by other researchers. This high activity was mainly ascribed to its unique structure, consisting of 5.4 nm mesopore channels incorporated with 3.3 nm Au nanoparticles, which facilitates contact between glucose molecules and Au nanoparticles. Besides, the abundant active oxygen species existing on this catalyst surface also promote glucose oxidation.