Control of Ti active-site microenvironment in titanosilicate catalysts and its effect on oxidation pathways

  • Yunkai Yu
  • , Rui Wang
  • , Wei Liu
  • , Zhen Chen
  • , Haoxin Liu
  • , Xin Huang
  • , Zhimou Tang
  • , Yueming Liu*
  • , Mingyuan He
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

The titanium (Ti) active-site microenvironment in titanosilicates is critical for oxidation performance, since it could influence oxidation pathways of the activation of H2O2, the stability of Ti−OOH species and the transfer ability of active “O” to reactant. Here, four kinds of Ti active sites in MWW-type titanosilicates were designed controllably by acid or alkali treatments, and their influences on oxidation pathways were explored. Through a series of characterizations, these microenvironments were identified, and they present different oxidation activities in this order: Ti(OSi)4(OTiO5)2 << Ti(OSi)4 < Ti(OSi)3OH < Ti(OSi)3OH(HO−Si)n. Ti(OSi)4(OTiO5)2 species cannot activate H2O2 because the framework tetrahedral Ti species in titanosilicates are shielded by extra-framework “OTiO5” (TiO6) species, leading to its inactivation in oxidation reactions. As the acid-treatment process washes off extra-framework TiO6 species, the obtained Ti(OSi)4 species are able to activate H2O2 and present an improved catalytic activity. With prolonging the acid treatment time, the Ti(OSi)3OH species is formed, and its stronger Lewis acidity contributes to the activation of H2O2 for Ti−OOH species formation. Further, upon treatment of Ti-MWW with alkali, the density of Si−OH groups near Ti active sites increases, which promotes the activation of H2O2 and stability of Ti−OOH species, simultaneously. These observations provide new ideas for designing Ti active-site microenvironment, which are expected to contribute significantly to the control of oxidation pathways.

Original languageEnglish
Article number117953
JournalApplied Catalysis A: General
Volume610
DOIs
StatePublished - 25 Jan 2021

Keywords

  • Acid or alkali treatment
  • Oxidation pathway
  • Si−OH species
  • Ti active-site microenvironment
  • Titanosilicate

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