Abstract
Iron (Fe)-containing mesoporous TUD-1 catalysts (denoted as Fe-TUD-1) with different Si/Fe ratios (100, 50, 20 and 10) were synthesized using triethanolamine as a template. They were characterized by XRD, elemental analysis, N
2 ad/desorption measurements, HR-TEM, UV–vis,
29Si NMR, and
57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopies. Catalytic performance was tested in the Friedel–Crafts benzylation of benzene. Fe-TUD-1 showed excellent activity, with 100% conversion and 100% selectivity towards diphenylmethane, superior to other metal-containing TUD-1 (e.g. Ga, Sn, and Ti) or other Fe-containing mesoporous materials (e.g. Fe-MCM-41 and Fe-HMS).