Titanosilicate zeolite precursors for highly efficient oxidation reactions

Abstract

Titanosilicate zeolites are catalysts of interest in the field of fine chemicals. However, the generation and accessibility of active sites in titanosilicate materials for catalyzing reactions with large molecules is still a challenge. Herein, we prepared titanosilicate zeolite precursors with open zeolitic structures, tunable pore sizes, and controllable Si/Ti ratios through a hydrothermal crystallization strategy by using quaternary ammonium templates. A series of quaternary ammonium ions are discovered as effective organic templates. The prepared amorphous titanosilicate zeolites with some zeolite framework structural order have extra-large micropores and abundant octahedrally coordinated isolated Ti species, which lead to a superior catalytic performance in the oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) and epoxidation of cyclohexene. It is anticipated that the amorphous prezeolitic titanosilicates will benefit the catalytic conversion of bulky molecules in a wide range of reaction processes.