Preparation of SnO2/graphene nanocomposite and its application to the catalytic epoxidation of alkenes with H2O2

The in situ growth of SnO2 nanoparticles on graphene have been achieved via a hydrothermal method and the nanocomposites were used as an efficient catalyst for the epoxidation of alkenes with aqueous hydrogen peroxide in nitrile based systems for the first time. Furthermore, the SnO2/graphene nanocomposites could be readily recovered and reused for at least ten consecutive cycles without significant loss of activity and selectivity.