Controlled silylation of MoVTeNb mixed oxide catalyst for the selective oxidation of propane to acrylic acid

Acrylic acid is an important industrial chemical, and efficient catalysts for its direct preparation by propane oxidation are highly desirable. For this purpose, neutral silica networks were introduced on the surface of MoVTeNb mixed oxide catalysts by controlled silylation using a methyl silicate oligomer (MS-51). The modified catalysts gave similar to 56.5% yield of acrylic acid with a selectivity of 77.1% in the oxidation of propane at 380 degrees C. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray fluorescence, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer Emmett Teller specific surface area, X-ray diffraction (Rietveld analysis), pyridine desorption, and scanning electron microscopy. MoVTeNb mixed oxide was found to be composed of 90.9% M1 phase and 2.3% M2 phase, and upon silylation, the surface was uniformly covered by a thin SiO2 layer with 0.14 molar ratio with respect to Mo and an estimated thickness of 2.4 nm. The amount of acid sites decreased after the first three silylation cycles, but was not affected by repeated cycles. The results of the kinetic study based on the comparison of the simulated contribution of each side reaction were consistent with those of the model reactions using acrylic acid and other reactants: the controlled silylation effectively suppressed acrylic acid oxidation, especially after repeated silylation cycles, which is responsible for the superior performance of the silylated catalysts. Considering the relatively large size of acrylic acid compared to propane and the efficient propane activation by silica-covered catalysts, the controlled silylation was proposed to have two roles, by which further consecutive oxidation is prevented effectively to exhibit excellent performance in oxidation of propane: i) to block the unfavorable acidic sides, ii) to generate a silica layer with pore mouth openings on the surface of MoVTeNb mixed oxide, which allow the entrance of propane but inhibit re-entrance of the produced acrylic acid.