Au sites supported on Ti-containing materials(Au/Ti-containing catalyst)are currently considered as a promising catalyst for the propylene epoxidation owing to the synergistic effect that hydrogen peroxide species formed on Au sites diffuses to the Ti sites to form the Ti-hydroperoxo intermedi-ates and contributes to the formation of propylene oxide(PO).In principle,thermal treatment will significantly affect the chemical and physical structures of Ti-containing materials.Consequently,the synergy between tailored Ti sites with different surface properties and Au sites is highly expected to enhance the catalytic performance for the reaction.Herein,we systematically studied the intrinsic effects of different microenvironments around Ti sites on the PO adsorption/desorption and conversion,and then effectively improved the catalytic performance by tailoring the number of surface hydroxyl groups.The Ti^(Ⅵ) material with fewer hydroxyls stimulates a remarkable enhancement in PO selectivity and H_(2) efficiency compared to the Ti^(Ⅵ) material that possessed more hydroxyls,offering a 7-fold and 4-fold increase,respectively.As expected,the Ti^(Ⅵ+Ⅳ) and Ti^(Ⅳ) materials also exhibit a similar phenomenon to the Ti^(Ⅵ) materials through the same thermal treatment,which strongly supports that the Ti sites microenvironment is an important factor in suppressing PO con-version and enhancing catalytic performance.These insights could provide guidance for the rational preparation and optimization of Ti-containing materials synergizing with Au catalysts for propylene epoxidation.
Selective and durable fixed‐bed catalysts are highly desirable for developing eco‐efficient HPPO(hydrogen peroxide propylene oxide)process.The powder titanosilicate catalysts must be shaped before being applied in industrial processes.As the essential additives for preparing formed catalysts,binders are usually the catalytically inert components,but they would cover the surface and pore mouth of zeolite,thereby declining the accessibility of active sites.By recrystallizing the binder(silica)/Ti‐MWW extrudates with the assistance of dual organic structure‐directing agents,the silica binder was converted into MWW zeolite phase to form a structured binder‐free Ti‐MWW zeolite with Si‐rich shell,which enhanced the diffusion efficiency and maintained the mechanical strength.Meanwhile,due to the partial dissolution of Si in the Ti‐MWW matrix,abundant silanol nests formed and part of framework TiO4 species were transferred into open TiO_(6)ones,improving the accumulation and activation ability of H_(2)O_(2)inside the monolith.Successive piperidine treatment and fluoridation of the binder‐free Ti‐MWW further enhanced the H_(2)O_(2)activation and oxygen transfer ability of the active Ti sites,and stabilized the Ti‐OOH intermediate through hydrogen bond formed between the end H in Ti‐OOH and the adjacent Si‐F species,thus achieving a more efficient epoxidation process.Additionally,the side reaction of PO hydrolysis was inhibited because the modification effectively quenched numerous Si‐OH groups.The lifetime of the modified binder‐free Ti‐MWW catalyst was 2400 h with the H_(2)O_(2)conversion and PO selectivity both above 99.5%.
