A VOx/meso-TiO2 catalyst for methanol oxidation to dimethoxymethane

Mesoporous TiO2 was prepared by simply controlling the hydrolysis of Ti(OBu)4 with the help of acetic acid. The mesoporous TiO2 had a well-crystallized anatase phase and a high surface area of 290 m2 g−1 with a pore size of about 4 nm. The anatase phase and the mesoporous structure were maintained in the VOx/TiO2 catalyst with a monolayer dispersion of V2O5, however, the surface area decreased to 126 m2 g−1. The catalyst was highly active and selective for methanol oxidation, giving about 55% conversion of methanol and 85% selectivity to dimethoxymethane at 423 K.