Molybdophosphoric acid in sol-gel titania: Physico-chemical properties

Titania mixed with molybdophosphoric acid, HMoP, in various proportions (1, 15, 25 and 50 wt.%) was obtained by the sol-gel method. The gels were dried and calcined in air at 400, 600 and 800 °C. The crystalline phases were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), whereas the physico-chemical properties were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and 31P MAS-NMR spectroscopy. FTIR was a technique used to determine acidic properties by pyridine adsorption. XRD showed that HMoP does not decompose until 700 °C. The stabilization of the anatase phase and the Keggin HMoP crystalline structure were evidenced by Raman spectroscopy; whereas FTIR-pyridine adsorption spectra showed that titania-HMoP present Brönsted and Lewis acid sites. A correlation between the acid sites and the amount of HMoP was observed by 31P MAS-NMR.