Selective Oxofunctionalization of Cyclohexane and Benzyl Alcohol over BiOI/TiO2 Heterojunction

Heterogeneous photocatalysis under visible light irradiation allows performing of selective oxofunctionalization of hydrocarbons at ambient temperature and pressure, using molecular oxygen as a sacrificial reagent and potential use of sunlight as a sustainable and low-cost energy source. In the present work, a photocatalytic material based on heterojunction of titanium dioxide and bismuth oxyiodide was used as photocatalyst on selective oxofunctionalization of cyclohexane and benzyl alcohol. The selective oxidation reactions were performed in a homemade photoreactor equipped with a metal halide lamp and injected air as a source of molecular oxygen. The identified oxidized products obtained from oxofunctionalization of cyclohexane were cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone. On the other hand, the product obtained from oxofunctionalization of benzyl alcohol was benzaldehyde. The yield obtained with BiOI/TiO2 photocatalysts was higher than that obtained with pure bismuth oxyiodide. The higher performance of this material with respect to pure BiOI was attributed to its higher specific area.