Synthesis of TS-1 with high catalytic performance using inorganic SiO2-TiO2 precursor

The inorganic SiO2-TiO2 precursor having Si-O-Ti bonds similar to those present in the titanium sillcalite (TS-1) molecular sieve was prepared through spontaneous dispersion of Ti(SO4)(2) on amorphous porous silica by thermal treatment. The precursor was used as the silica and titanium sources to synthesize TS-1 using tetrapropylammonium hydroxide as the template under hydrothermal crystallization conditions. Characterization by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy indicated that the TS-1 sample with MFI structure was well crystallized and the Ti atoms were successfully incorporated into the framework. The catalytic activity of TS-1 for the hydroxylation of phenol with dilute hydrogen per oxide showed that the treatment temperature of the SiO2-TiO2 precursor obviously influenced the catalyst performance, and the proper treatment temperature was about 450 degrees C.