Vapor-Phase Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol into Benzaldehyde Using Biphasic Ce–Mn Catalyst in Presence of Air

Here, we present the efficient synthesis of benzaldehyde (BnZ) by reacting benzyl alcohol with air and employing CeO₂–MnO₂ (Ce–Mn) mixed oxide. The addition of MnO₂ (Mn) to CeO₂(Ce) increased the reducibility, support–support interaction, and oxygen vacancy. The development of oxygen vacancies in the ceria lattice following Mn addition can be used to explain that altering the Mn:Ce ratio refines the oxide’s reducibility. The physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized materials were examined using FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (P-XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and BET surface area analysis. Furthermore, it exhibits superior catalytic activity in the presence of air during the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde in vapor phase reactions, and it keeps its high stability for five successive cycles.