Depositing Fe species inside ZSM-5 to oxidize cyclohexane to cyclohexanone

A general strategy to selectively deposit highly-dispersed FeOx into the micropore of ZSM-5 by atomic layer deposition (ALD) is reported. The framework of ZSM-5 and the Brønsted acid sites are intact during ALD, and the Fe species are selectively deposited onto the defect and Lewis acid sites of ZSM-5. The obtained FeOx/ZSM-5 catalysts perform high selectivity of cyclohexanone (92%-97%), and ALD cycle numbers of FeOx control the activity.