The design, synthesis and catalytic performance of vanadium-incorporated mesoporous silica with 3D mesoporous structure for propene epoxidation.

V-containing mesoporous silica with 3D structure was prepared by a hydrothermal procedure using NHVO as the vanadium precursor and with varied reaction mixture pH values (pH = 3 and pH = 5). The combined use of DR UV-vis and H-TPR techniques confirmed the successful incorporation of vanadium into the structure of the mesoporous silica material. The number of acid sites, evidenced by ammonia TPD, strongly correlates with the vanadium content. Propene oxidation with NO revealed the noticeable activity of the synthesised vanadium-containing mesoporous materials in epoxidation reactions. The activity of the synthesized vanadosilicates is compared with the performance of vanadium-supported catalysts (on mesoporous silica of 3D structures) prepared by wet-impregnation method. On the basis of TOF analysis indicating the activity of particular vanadium ions, it was evidenced that although the presence of isolated V species is crucial in propene epoxidation, the availability of the active species is of paramount importance for proper vanadium utilization.