La1-xSrxFeO3-δ Perovskite Oxide Nanoparticles for Low-Temperature Aerobic Oxidation of Isobutane to tert-Butyl Alcohol.

The development of reusable solid catalysts based on naturally abundant metal elements for the liquid-phase selective oxidation of light alkanes under mild conditions to obtain desired oxygenated products, such as alcohols and carbonyl compounds, remains a challenge. In this study, various perovskite oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by a sol-gel method using aspartic acid, and the effects of A- and B-site metal cations on the liquid-phase oxidation of isobutane to tert-butyl alcohol with molecular oxygen as the sole oxidant were investigated. Iron-based perovskite oxides containing Fe⁴⁺ such as BaFeO_3-δ, SrFeO_3-δ, and La_1-xSr_xFeO_3-δ exhibited catalytic performance superior to those of other Fe³⁺- and Fe²⁺-based iron oxides and Mn-, Ni-, and Co-based perovskite oxides. The partial substitution of Sr for La in LaFeO₃ significantly enhanced the catalytic performance and durability. In particular, the La_0.8Sr_0.2FeO_3-δ catalyst could be recovered by simple filtration and reused several times without an obvious loss of its high catalytic performance, whereas the recovered BaFeO_3-δ and SrFeO_3-δ catalysts were almost inactive. La_0.8Sr_0.2FeO_3-δ promoted the selective oxidation of isobutane even under mild conditions (60 °C), and the catalytic activity was comparable to that of homogeneous systems, including halogenated metalloporphyrin complexes. On the basis of mechanistic studies, including the effect of Sr substitution in La_1-xSr_xFeO_3-δ on surface redox reactions, the present oxidation proceeds via a radical-mediated oxidation mechanism, and the surface-mixed Fe³⁺/Fe⁴⁺ valence states of La_1-xSr_xFeO_3-δ nanoparticles likely play an important role in promoting C-H activation of isobutane as well as decomposition of tert-butyl hydroperoxide.