Synthesis, Characterization of Zirconia and Molybdenum Doped on Silica: Study their Catalytic Activity for Oxidation of Sulphides

Abstract

To explore the structural, green methodology and thermal stability for synthesizing series of ternary mixed metal oxides were prepared by doping ZrO2 and MoO3 on SiO2 (ZMS) by sol-gel method. Catalysts were examined by XRD, FT-IR, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and TEM techniques. Both oxides showed the high stability with nanocrystalline nature and the catalytic activity of synthesized ZMS catalyst were tested for oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides at room temperature. Gas chromatography was used to analyze the products. A high selectivity obtained by nicely controlled a variation of catalyst amount as well as amounts of oxidant applied. Recycling experiments explained that the synthesized ZMS catalysts can be recycled many times without major loss of their activity. The catalytic system provided a number of advantages including clean, use of green solvent and easy handling strategy for the synthesis of sulfoxides at mild conditions.