Synthesis of Fe-Ti-MCM-48 from silatrane precursor via sol-gel process and its hydrothermal stability

• Fe–Ti-MCM-48 mesoporous molecular sieves were successfully synthesized.
• Bimetallic Fe–Ti-MCM-48 with 0.01Fe/Si and 0.01Ti/Si ratio had highly hydrothermal stability.
• The higher titanium content led to the lower specific surface area and hydrothermal stability.

A series of bimetallic Fe–Ti-MCM-48 materials was successfully synthesized via sol–gel method using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a template and silatrane, iron (III) chloride, and titanium (IV) isopropoxide as silica, iron, and titanium sources, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed the truncated octahedron morphology of Fe–Ti-MCM-48.X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed well-defined, order cubic mesoporous structures. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) revealed the total metal content of the final product. UV–visible absorption spectra confirmed both iron (Fe3+) and cerium (Ti4+) species highly dispersed in the framework, while N2 adsorption/desorption measurements indicated a high specific surface area. As metal content increased, the mesoporous order and surface area decreased. The synthesized Fe–Ti-MCM-48 with 0.01Fe/Si and 0.01Ti/Si ratio still retained a cubic structure after hydrothermal treatment at 100 °C for 72 h.

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