Novel mesoporous submicron SO42−/FeCu-ZrO2 catalyst for highly selective liquid-phase nitration of 1-nitronaphthalene with NO2 to 1, 5-dinitronaphthalene under mild conditions

•A novel mesoporous submicron superacid catalyst sub-SO42−/FeCu-ZrO2 was synthesized.•Improved catalytic activity of the catalyst by bimetallic doping and preparation method.•Synergistic catalysis of sub-SO42−/FeCu-ZrO2 combined O2-Ac2O improved the selectivity to 1,5-DNN.•DFT calculation further revealed the reason of favorable selectivity to 1,5-DNN.•This work provides a mild, efficient and benign approach for preparation of 1,5-DNN.