Facile Microwave-Refluxing Synthesis and Catalytic Properties of Vanadium Pentoxide Nanomaterials

Vanadium pentoxide nanomaterials were prepared by a facile microwave assisted refluxing reaction of VOSO4 and (NH4)(2)S2O8 solutions under atmospheric pressure at 100 degrees C for 1 h. The synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning; electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area measurements. The catalytic oxidation and photocatalytic activities of the synthesized V2O5 were evaluated by oxidative cyanation of N,N-dimethylaniline in methanol and photodegradation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in aqueous solution, respectively. V2O5 center dot xH(2)O nanofibers were formed when VOSO4 and (NH4)(2)S2O8 solutions were irradiated with microwaves under reflux conditions at 100 degrees C within 1 h. Nanostructured V2O5 was synthesized by calcining V2O5 center dot xH(2)O at 280 degrees C for 12 h. The conversion of N,N-dimethylaniline to N-methyl-N-phenylcyanarnide increased with an increase in the amount of V2O5 catalyst As the amount of synthesized V2O5 increased from 10 to 15 mg, the conversion of N,N-dimethylaniline to N-methyl-N-phenylcyanarnide reached 100%, but the selectivity decreased from 100% to 96%. N-methyl-N-phenylformamide was formed as a byproduct because of use of excess V2O5. The as synthesized V2O5 nanomaterials showed comparable photocatalytic performance with commercial TiO2 (P-25) for the degradation of N-nitrosodimethylamine to NO3- in water. This work provides a facile 1 synthesis method of nanosized V2O5 center dot xH(2)O and V2O5 with excellent catalytic activities.