Advanced metal oxide-based nanocatalysts for the oxidative synthesis of fine chemicals

Abstract

The development of nanocatalysis has ushered in a new era in chemistry by promoting the design of new catalytic production processes in organic synthesis with utmost level of waste minimization by conforming to green chemistry principles. Consequently, significant advancement has been made towards the generation of highly active and selective metal oxide-based materials with tunable properties that can be controlled at the nano-scale. A thorough literature survey revealed that these functional nano-architectures are endowed with exceptional potential to boost industrially significant oxidation processes in terms of activity, selectivity, product yield, atom economy, recoverability and reusability. This review aims to combine all the scattered literature pertaining to the applicability of diverse metal oxide nanocatalysts in the manufacturing of fine chemicals, which can serve as a guide for the scientific community working in this area. In the first section, we present an in-depth understanding on the fundamental concepts of metal oxide-based nanoarchitectures, emphasizing their role in expediting practically important oxidation processes. Subsequently, we present the state-of-art progress on various synthetic methodologies and functionalization strategies adopted by different research groups to acquire strategic vision of essential requisites for the design of nanoengineered metal oxides. Furthermore, an in-depth discussion on surface coating agents and functionalization strategies, which are key structural aspects for manufacturing nanohybrid catalysts with enhanced activity and selectivity, will also be covered. Finally, we summarize all the research work conducted on the utilization of surface-engineered metal oxide-based nanomaterials in accelerating oxidation reactions including alkane oxidation, alkene oxidation, arene oxidation, alcohol oxidation, amine oxidation and thiol oxidation. Further, it is envisioned that this review will give new directions to nanocatalysis research by providing clues for the judicious design of next-generation catalytic nanomaterials, which will not only improve industrial production but also protect the environment and human health.