Preparation, characterization and catalytic activity of Zr embedded MSU-V with high thermal and hydrothermal stability

Zirconium embedded MSU-V materials (Zr-MSU-V) have been synthesized using neutral 1,12-diaminododecane as template and zirconyl chloride as precursor. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET method, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), FT-IR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis and thermal gravimetry/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA). The XRD results showed that the Zr-MSU-V materials retained their structural integrity even when the molar ratio of Si to Zr was up to 10. The surface area of samples with Si/Zr ratio of 10 reached 658 m2/g, and the well-ordered structure of Zr-MSU-V was observed by TEM. FT-IR, XPS and diffuse reflection UV–vis (DR UV–vis) studies confirmed that the Zr atoms were completely incorporated into the mesoporous structure. The thermal stability of the as-synthesized materials was verified using TG/DTA analysis. The Zr-MSU-V materials also showed good hydrothermal stability, and the structure was retained even after boiling in water for 48 h. It was found that the Zr embedded MSU-V materials showed good catalytic activity and selectivity towards the oxidation of styrene, proportional to the zirconium content in the catalysts.