Abstract：The surface modification of metal oxides using organic modifiers is a potential strategy for enhancing their catalytic performances. In this study, a hydrophobic surface amine-modified CoO catalyst with a water contact angle of 143° was fabricated. The catalyst was characterized by XRD, TGA, FT-IR, HR-TEM, and XPS. The results showed that the fabricated catalyst performed better than the hydrophilic commercial CoO nanoparticle in the process of aromatic hydrocarbon oxidation. After the amines modification, commercial CoO also became hydrophobic and improved conversion of ethylbenzene was achieved. The surface modification of CoO with amines induced the hydrophobicity property, which could serve as a reference for the design of other hydrophobic catalysts.