Open Access

Highly dispersed vanadium-doped metal oxides such as VOx/ZrO2, VOx/SiO2 and VOx/TiO2/SiO2 with vanadium contents between 0 and 25 mole% were prepared by special bulk preparation methods (coprecipitation and sol–gel, followed by freeze-drying). Bulk and surface properties of the obtained mixed oxide solid solutions were thoroughly investigated by different analytical methods (Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, TPD, H2-TPR, oxygen isotope measurements etc.). Moreover, the catalytic behaviour of the oxides was studied for the example of the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of propane to propylene. Independent of the preparation method, the catalytic behaviour of vanadium-doped ZrO2 and TiO2 phases is very similar. Both metal oxide solid solutions are very active in propane ODH whereas the catalytic activity of VOx/SiO2 is relatively low. On the other hand, the reduction of the catalytic activity is accompanied by an improved selectivity for the formation of propylene. The correlation between the catalytic activity and the acidity of the oxide systems is discussed. Oxidation experiments with 18O2 clearly show that the ODH reaction occurs according to the Mars–van Krevelen mechanism.

Among the furan-based compounds, furfural (FUR) shows interesting properties as building-block or industrial solvent. It is produced from pentosan-rich biomass via xylose cyclodehydration. The current FUR production uses homogeneous catalysts and steam. According to recent studies, the reaction mechanism is different in the presence of Lewis (L) or Brønsted (B) sites. In this work, partially hydroxylated MgF2 catalysts, containing bifunctional Lewis and Brønsted properties, were further functionalized using different fluorosulfonic precursors. Its main objective was to test these solids as catalysts for xylose conversion to furfural. Extensive characterization techniques using TG–MS, 19F-MAS-NMR, or pyridine adsorption confirmed the substitution of surface OH groups by stronger Brønsted sites. The activity data showed a considerable change of the reaction kinetics and a final furfural selectivity of 90% at 160 °C in water/toluene for optimized L/B ratios by the one-step grafting technique. Moreover, the reaction analyses and the change of conversion pathways were studied.

Sol–gel prepared ternary FeF3–MgF2 materials have become promising heterogeneous catalysts due to their porosity and surface Lewis/Brønsted acidity (bi-acidity). Despite the good catalytic performance, nanoscopic characterisations of this type of material are still missing and the key factors controlling the surface properties have not yet been identified, impeding both a better understanding and further development of ternary fluoride catalysts. In this study, we characterised the interaction between the bi-acidic component (FeF3) and the matrix (MgF2) on the nano-scale. For the first time, the formation pathway of FeF3–MgF2 was profiled and the template effect of MgF2 during the synthesis process was discovered. Based on these new insights two novel materials, FeF3–CaF2 and FeF3–SrF2, were established, revealing that with decreasing the atomic numbers (from Sr to Mg), the ternary fluorides exhibited increasing surface acidity and surface area but decreasing pore size. These systematic changes gave rise to a panel of catalysts with tuneable surface and bulk properties either by changing the matrix alkaline earth metal fluoride or by adjusting their ratios to Fe or both. The template effect of the alkaline earth metal fluoride matrix was identified as the most probable key factor determining the surface properties and further influencing the catalytic performance in ternary fluoride based catalysts, and paves the way to targeted design of next-generation catalysts with tunable properties.

Dielectric, anti-reflective or high reflective systems consist of low and high refractive index layers. Common systems are oxides. The preparation of low refractive index MgF2-films of optical quality by means of an anhydrous low temperature sol–gel synthesis is presented. The MgF2-sol is prepared by spin-coating on silicon and glass substrates. Various film thicknesses between 20 nm and 435 nm have been deposited. It has been shown that the thickness increase is proportional to the number of coating steps. The deposited MgF2-films consist of 10 nm to 20 nm large nanoparticles and have smooth surfaces with an average roughness (Ra) of (1.7 ± 0.3) nm. The optical constants n and k of the films are in agreement with the literature data of bulk-MgF2.