Amorphous microporous mixed oxides as selective redox catalysts

Amorphous microporous homogeneously mixed oxides based on Ti or V in silica can be prepared by an acid catalyzed sol-gel process. The materials have been characterized by TEM, UV, IR and sorption methods. The glasses can be used for the selective epoxidation of alkenes. The catalytic properties are comparable to those of the well known crystalline Ti-containing zeolites TS-1, Ti-MCM-41 and Ti-Beta. Amorphous microporous homogeneously mixed metal oxides seem to be promising new catalytic materials supplementing the well studied selective zeolites.