Site-specific doping in mesoporous Co3O4 to enrich oxygen vacancies for efficient aromatic alkane oxidation

• • Mn-doped mesoporous Co3O4 achieves 37% conversion of ethylbenzene and 97% selectivity for acetophenone under solvent-free conditions, demonstrating superior catalytic performance for aromatic alkane oxidation. • • Site-specific Mn doping at octahedral sites of Co3O4 reduces oxygen vacancy formation energy, as confirmed by DFT calculations, leading to enhanced catalytic activity. • • The resin-assisted coordination co-assembly strategy enables precise control over composition and pore structure, yielding mesoporous Co3O4 with abundant oxygen vacancies. • • The catalyst exhibits excellent stability and recyclability, maintaining high activity over multiple cycles, which is critical for industrial application.