Synthesis, characterization and catalytic activity of binary metallic titanium and iron containing mesoporous silica

A series of Fe-Ti incorporated-SBA-15 and MCM-41 has been synthesized using different heteroatom sources and characterized by using XRD, N-2-adsorption, HRTEM, ICP, FT-IR, and UV-vis techniques. Catalytic performances of the obtained materials were evaluated in the hydroxylation of styrene with H2O2. Results indicated that (a) all samples exhibited typical hexagonal arrangement of mesoporous structure with high surface areas, (b) the kinds of heteroatoms sources had a significant effect on the heteroatom contents in the samples, i.e. there was a strong interaction between Ti and Fe species in the synthesis procedure, and (c) catalytic results revealed that the selectivity of benzaldehyde and the conversion of styrene were controlled by the contents of Fe and Ti species in the samples, respectively. An appropriate n(Ti)/n(Fe) ratio in catalysts could approach the optimal catalytic performance. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.