Study on structures and performances of MoVTeO/SiO2 catalysts for selective oxidation of propane to acrolein

MoVTeO/SiO2 catalysts were prepared and tested for selective oxidation of propane to acrolein. The relationship among the structures, surface properties and catalytic performances of the catalysts was investigated by XRD, Raman and NH3-TPD. It was found that the catalyst with Mo as a main component MoV0.2Te0.1/SiO2 showed a better performance than other catalysts for the reaction. In the presence of V and Te, the dispersion of Mo species and the reducibility of MoO3 were improved to a certain extent. The highly dispersed Mo species, which existed as surface molybdate- and polyrnolybdate-like species, and the relatively weak acidity of MoVTeO/SiO2 catalyst were beneficial to activity and selectivity for propane oxidation to acrolein, respectively.