Catalytic oxidation of benzene using mesoporous α-Mn ₂O₃

The catalytic oxidation of benzene was carried out over mesoporous α-Mn₂O₃, MnO_x/KIT-6, and bulk commercial Mn oxides (Mn₂O₃, MnO₂, and MnO). The catalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, and temperatureprogrammed reduction analysis. MnO_x/KIT-6, prepared by impregnating MnO_x on KIT-6, exhibited a low activity for the oxidation of benzene, whereas mesoporous α-Mn₂O₃, manufactured using KIT-6 as the template, showed a high activity. The order of the activities of bulk Mn oxides for benzene decomposition was shown to be Mn₂O₃ MnO ₂ MnO. Therefore, the high activity of mesoporous α-Mn ₂O₃ is attributed to the uniform distribution of highly active Mn₂O₃ in the mesoporous structure.