Electrospinning synthesis of vanadium–TiO2–carbon composite nanofibrous membranes as effective catalysts for the complete oxidation of low-concentration acetone

• TiO2–carbon and V-containing TiO2–C nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning.
• V was introduced by adding a vanadium precursor into the electrospinning solution.
• Vanadium incorporation enhances the performance toward acetone complete oxidation.
• The surface chemistry, acidity and reducibility influence the catalytic performance.

TiO2–carbon and vanadium–TiO2–carbon composite nanofibrous membranes were synthesized through electrospinning and investigated for the complete oxidation of low-concentration acetone. The novel nanofibrous membranes were characterized through various techniques, including TG/DSC, SEM-EDX, HRTEM, XRD, N2 sorption, XPS, NH3-TPD, and H2-TPR analyses. Introduction of vanadium at an appropriate amount enhances the catalytic performance in complete acetone oxidation. The best result was obtained with 10V–TiC nanofibers that contain 10 wt.% vanadium. Furthermore, the 10V–TiC nanofibers displayed higher activity than that of the V2O5/TiO2 reference catalyst prepared by impregnation method. Characterization results indicate that these fibers exhibit a typical nanofibrous morphology. Vanadium incorporation accelerates the decomposition of the gel precursor nanofibers and causes variations in textural properties, surface chemistry, acidity, and reducibility. The high porosity of the nanofibrous structure, abundant adsorbed oxygen species on the surface, strong acidity, and reducibility enhance the catalytic performance.

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