n-Alkylamine-assisted preparation of a high surface area vanadyl phosphate/tetraethylorthosilicate nanocomposite

Graphical abstract: CuKα X-ray diffraction patterns of the VP, VPOc, VPOcT, VPOcT200 and VPOcT500. Highlights: ► TEOS and octylamine incorporation into the VP was achieved by expanding the lamellar. ► The specific surface area increased from 15 m2 g−1 in VP to 237 m2 g−1 in VPOcT. ► The VPOcT exhibited thermal resistance up to 200 °C in air. ► Upon thermal treatment up to 500 °C, the surface area increased to 838 m2 g−1. -- Abstract: We have developed a vanadyl phosphate/tetraethylorthosilicate (VPO/TEOS) nanocomposite comprised of silicate chains interleaved with VPO layers, prepared by using an n-alkylamines such as octylamine as the structure directing agent. The nanocomposites were synthesized by reacting amine-intercalated vanadyl phosphate with tetraethylorthosilicate via the soft chemistry approach. The synthetic procedure encompassed the exfoliation of the layered vanadyl phosphate as well as the reorganization of this exfoliated solid into a mesostructured lamellar phase with the same V–P–O connectivity as in the original matrix. TEOS incorporation into the vanadyl phosphate was achieved by expanding the lamellar structure with n-alkylamine (Δd = 13 Å with n-octylamine). The specific surface area increased from 15 m2 g−1 in the vanadyl phosphate matrix to 237 m2 g−1 in VPOcT, and the isotherm curves revealed the characteristic hysteresis of mesoporous materials. Upon thermal treatment up to 500 °C, the surface area increased to 837 m2 g−1, which is suitable for catalytic purposes.