Abstract <p>The mixed systems of cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone (commonly known as KA oil) are key precursors for the synthesis of caprolactam and adipic acid.The atom planting (AP) and impregnation methods has been used to introduce Ti and Cr sequentially into deboronated MWW zeolite catalysts for cyclohexane liquid-phase oxidation, and high KA oil selectivity was obtained. The highly dispersed Cr species as the active site for cyclohexane oxidation were made by introduction of tetra-coordinated Ti species into the zeolite skeleton through the AP method. The catalysts were characterized using XRD, FT-IR, UV-Vis, contact angle and other methods. The results show that the hydrophilicity of the zeolites, the polarity of the solvents, and the metal loading have significant effects on the cyclohexane conversion and the selectivity of KA oil. Through continuous optimization of the reaction conditions, cyclohexane conversion and KA oil selectivity of 25.8% and 99.4% were obtained, respectively.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>