Photoinduced Formation of Oxygen Vacancies on Mo-Incorporated WO 3 for Direct Oxidation of Benzene to Phenol by Air

Photocatalysts with abundant oxygen vacancies (OVs) exhibit enhanced activity for the direct oxidation of benzene to phenol with O2, owing to their superior O2 activation and charge separation properties. However, OVs on metal oxide surfaces such as WO3 are susceptible to healing by oxygen-containing reactants or intermediates, leading to their irreversible deactivation. Herein, we demonstrate that incorporating Mo into the WO3 lattice effectively lowers the energy barrier for OV formation, promoting the dynamic formation of more abundant photoinduced OVs in situ on the surface during the photocatalytic reaction. These Mo-promoted photoinduced OVs are found to ensure the long-term sustainability of sufficient…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 21972022, 22372036, U21A20326, U24A20567
• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province

  Awards: 2024J08024, 2024HZ027004
• HE
  Higher Education Discipline Innovation Project

  Award: D16008