An imidazole type ionic liquid (IL), 1‐hexadecyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride (I16IL) was used as a template in the preparation of mesoporous silica with incorporated titanium dioxide. In this process, the IL is the structural template as well as the source of the Ti. The steps leading to the formation of the nanocrystalline metal oxide include: a) formation of metal‐containing IL (M‐IL); b) using the M‐IL as a template for the mesoporous silica; c) calcination of the sample to remove the organic moiety, while leaving the metal centers to form oxides on the porous framework. By varying the TiO2–SiO2 calcination temperature, the particle size and phase of TiO2 have been studied. These TiO2–SiO2 hybrid materials were characterized by using various physicochemical techniques, such as UV/Vis diffuse‐reflectance spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, N2 adsorption‐desorption isotherm measurement, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The resultant hybrid silica demonstrated effective photocatalytic activity for the oxidation of cyclohexene and styrene.
Imidazole type ionic liquid, 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, was used to template the synthesis of high-surface-area mesoporous silica under acidic conditions and crystalline titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles of anatase phase were inserted utilizing a solvent evaporation-induced method. The surface area of more than 700 m 2 g À1 was obtained after TiO 2 impregnation. Further, the polyoxometalate, 12-tungstophosphoric acid (PW 12 ) was dispersed on the surface of TiO 2 to form PW 12 -TiO 2 -silica hybrid catalytic materials. The catalytic activity of this hybrid material was tested for solvent-free, aerobic oxidation of n-hexadecane. The experimental investigation shows that PW 12 -TiO 2 nanocrystals did not block the pore channels and gave good conversion.
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