Tuning the oxygen vacancy and acidity of V-Ag-Ce/TiO2 catalyst for selective gas-phase oxidation of toluene to benzaldehyde

Toluene gas-phase oxidation is a green, chlorine-free production process for benzaldehyde but its conversion efficiency is still unsatisfying due to the lack of highly efficient catalyst. Here the selective oxidation of toluene to benzaldehyde over V-Ag-Ce/TiO2 under an air atmosphere was investigated. The catalyst was prepared by impregnation and characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), H2 temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), O2 temperature programmed desorption (O2-TPD), and NH3 temperature programmed desorption (NH3-TPD). The amount of oxygen vacancy and acid of the catalyst can be tuned through adjusting the V:Ag:Ce ratio. Over the optimum catalyst (V:Ag:Ce = 4:2:1, molar ratio), 92% benzaldehyde selectivity with a 27% toluene conversion can be obtained at 550 degrees C. Medium amounts of oxygen vacancy (0.43) and acidity (0.10 mmol/g) are found to be conducive to the conversion of toluene to benzaldehyde. This study has important theoretical guiding significance for improving conversion efficiency from toluene to benzaldehyde by gas-phase aerobic oxidation.