Protein powder derived nitrogen-doped carbon supported atomically dispersed iron sites for selective oxidation of ethylbenzene.

Atomically dispersed Fe species embedded in the nitrogen-containing carbon supports (Fe/NC) are successfully synthesized using a ball milling approach, with commercial protein powder as the nitrogen source. The catalyst exhibits outstanding performance in the oxidation of aromatic compounds containing saturated C-H bonds into corresponding ketones under ambient conditions, which is superior to those of a nanoparticle catalyst (Fe/NC) and a metal-free catalyst (NC).