Spherical V-Fe-MCM-48: The Synthesis, Characterization and Hydrothermal Stability

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Catalysis

Background:

• MCM-48 is a mesoporous silica material with a 3D cubic structure.
• Doping MCM-48 with transition metals can enhance its catalytic and adsorption properties.
• Vanadium and iron are transition metals with diverse catalytic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize spherical MCM-48 mesoporous sieve co-doped with vanadium and iron (V-Fe-MCM-48).
• To characterize the structural, morphological, and chemical properties of the synthesized V-Fe-MCM-48.
• To evaluate the performance of V-Fe-MCM-48 in terms of particle size, surface area, and hydrothermal stability.

Main Methods:

• One-step hydrothermal synthesis.
• Characterization using X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption-desorption, ICP, SEM, TEM, UV-vis, and XPS.
• Comparative analysis with V-MCM-48 and pure MCM-48.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized spherical V-Fe-MCM-48 with an ordered 3D cubic mesostructure.
• V-Fe-MCM-48 exhibited a narrow pore size distribution and high specific surface area.
• Vanadium (V⁴⁺) and iron (Fe³⁺) were successfully co-doped into the silicate framework.
• V-Fe-MCM-48 showed smaller particle sizes and higher specific surface area than V-MCM-48.
• The synthesized V-Fe-MCM-48 demonstrated improved hydrothermal stability compared to pure MCM-48.

Conclusions:

• Spherical V-Fe-MCM-48 can be effectively synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method.
• Co-doping with vanadium and iron enhances the properties of MCM-48, including surface area and stability.
• The resulting V-Fe-MCM-48 is a promising material for applications requiring high surface area and stability.