Mesoporous yarn ball-like MgWO4 for Cyclohexanone B-V Oxidation to ε-Caprolactone

A novel mesoporous magnesium tungstate (MgWO ₄ ) catalyst with a yarn ball-like morphology using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a structure-directing agent was pioneered the design and successfully prepared via a solvothermal method in this work, and the catalytic performance was subsequently investigated in the Baeyer-Villiger (B-V) oxidation of cyclohexanone to ε-caprolactone within an O ₂ /benzaldehyde co-oxidation system. The physicochemical and structural properties of MgWO ₄ were thoroughly characterized using a suite of analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Hammett indicator methods. The engineered pore structure can enhance oxygen adsorption capacity to promote the oxidation of cyclohexanone and alleviate mass transfer constraints. The Y-MgWO ₄ (22%) catalyst, exhibiting a 1.9-fold increase in specific surface area, a 3.1-fold larger pore volume, and moderate basicity, achieved catalytic activity approximately 233% higher than the CTAB-free MgWO ₄ substrate. The catalyst maintained stable performance over more than eight reuse cycles, indicating its viability for industrial application.