W-MCM-41 mesoporous materials were directly synthesized via an alkali-hydrothermal method and characterized by using various techniques. The effect of different Si/W molar ratios in the gels on the structure and catalytic performance in cyclohexene oxidation was comparatively investigated in details. The results showed that the as-prepared materials retained good mesoporous structure and the one prepared with Si/W = 40 displayed the best catalytic properties. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.