Synthesis, characterization and catalytic performance of titanium silicalite-1 prepared in micellar media

Abstract

Titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) was synthesized in the presence of small amount of TPAOH using Tween 20, as nonionic surfactant. The procedure gives highly pure nanometer-sized homogeneous crystalline product and higher rate of crystallization. The results are compared with the TS-1 sample prepared without surfactant. Characterization of TS-1 has been carried out by using X-ray diffraction and shows that the samples are fully crystalline, while FTIR spectroscopy shows the presence of characteristic band for TS-1 at 960 cm^-1, confirming Si-O-Ti linkages present in the product. The UV-visible spectroscopy of the sample prepared without surfactant at low TPAOH concentration shows the presence of extra framework of TiO₂ species. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the sample shows homogeneous particle size (~150 nm), while the sample without surfactant shows the presence of particle size ranging between 150 and 200 nm. Catalytic activity of TS-1 sample was also confirmed for octene epoxidation.