Abstract: Bimetallic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) possess tunable skeletal structures and synergistic effects between multiple metals, demonstrating significant application potential in the field of catalysis. In this study, Cu2+ and Co2+, which have similar electronic structures and ionic radii, were selected as metal centers to successfully construct a bimetallic CuCo-MOF catalyst, achieving efficient and mild air-mediated epoxidation of cycloalkenes without the addition of external initiators or co-reductants. The Cu0.1Co1-MOF-BTC-H catalyst prepared via static hydrothermal method was thoroughly characterized by various techniques including XRD, FE-SEM, XPS and NH3-TPD. Under optimized conditions (using 1,4-dioxane as the solvent, 80 °C, 5 h and air as the oxidant), the catalyst demonstrated excellent catalytic performance in the air-catalyzed epoxidation of 3-methyl-1-cyclohexene, achieving a substrate conversion rate of up to 97.2% and epoxide product selectivity ≥99%. Additionally, the catalyst demonstrates good substrate universality, achieving conversion rates of 79.4% and 80.3% for cyclooctene and 4-vinyl-1-cyclohexene, respectively, with corresponding epoxide product selectivities of 98.0% and 74.3%. After five cycles of use, the catalyst maintains stable catalytic activity, indicating excellent cyclic stability.

Key words: Bimetallic CuCo-MOFs, Cycloolefin, 3-Methyl-1-cyclohexene, Air, Epoxidation