Thermal analysis (TG and DTA) was employed for the characterization of V2Os/TiO2 catalysts supported on high surface urea TiO2. The results obtained are consistent with a uniform spreading of vanadium oxide on TiO2 surface for V205 content less than 15% by weight.The presence of V205 on the surface of TiO2 affects the anatase-rutile phase transition lowering the temperature at which it occurs.DTA measurements, performed on catalysts after many months from the preparation, show the appearance of an exothermic peak in the range 2g0~176This signal has been related to the oxidation of V(IV) to V(V) on the catalyst surface.Catalysts characterization, performed by chemical analysis and FT-IR spectroscopy, has confirmed this interpretation.It has been suggested that a slow modification of the catalyst occurs, leading to an increase of the V(IV) content during the time. The nature of vanadium oxide species constituting the monolayer has been investigated by different techniques [4][5][6][7]. However thermal analysis was scarcely employed to characterize the V2Os/TiO2 systems [8,9].In a recent work [10] we have studied chemical and physical properties of high surface area V2Os/TiO2 catalysts prepared by supporting V205 on laser synthesized ultrafine TiO2 powders. In this work we have employed the DTA and TG techniques in order to study the thermal stability of V2Os/TiO2 catalysts. Moreover, by such techniques, a further contribution to the characterization of vanadium oxide species formed on the catalyst surface has been achieved.
ExperimentalThe V2Os/TiO2 catalysts were obtained by impregnation with NH4VO3 solution of high surface area (128 m2/g) TiO2 powder. The TiO2 support was synthesized by laser pyrolysis technique, as described in [11]. The catalysts were dried in oven at 120~ and then calcined at 400~ in air flow (99.95% purity) for 3 h. The catalysts contained V20~ nominal contents of 4, 8 and 15 wt%.The chemical analysis of V(IV) and V(V) was effected dissolving the catalysts in concentrated H2504 and titrating with KMnO4 to determine V(IV) content. The vanadium was reduced to +4 oxidation state with Fe(NHa)2(SO4)2.6H20 and then titrated with KMnO4 again to determine the total vanadium content.Thermal analysis was effected by using a DuPont 9000 system constituted by TG and DTA independent units. Both TG and DTA measurements were effected with heating rate of 20 deg/min. The reference for DTA measurements was TiO2 calcined at 1000~ which did not show any thermal effect in the whole range of temperature investigated.IR measurements were effected on a IFS 66 Bruker FT-IR apparatus using the KBr pellets technique.
Results and discussionThe results were obtained on samples as synthesized and after different times from the synthesis.The results of chemical analysis of catalysts are reported in Table 1 as total vanadium and V(IV) content.The TG curves for pure TiO2 and for the catalysts after 1.5 years from the synthesis are shown in Fig. 1. It can be observed a large weight loss for all samples that starts at room te...