V2O5/TiO2 catalytic xerogels raman and EPR studies

Raman spectroscopy and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) studies were performed on a series of V2O5/TiO2 catalysts prepared by a modified sol-gel method in order to identify the vanadium species. Two species of surface vanadium were identified by Raman measurements, monomeric vanadyls and polymeric vanadates. Monomeric vanadyls are characterized by a narrow Raman band at 1030 cm(-1) and polymeric vanadates by two broad bands in the region from 900 to 960 cm(-1) and 770 to 850 cm(-1). The Raman spectra do not exhibit characteristic peaks of crystalline V2O5. These results are in agreement with those of X-ray Diffractometry (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) previously reported (C.B. Rodella et al., J. Sol-Gel Sci. Techn., submitted). At least three families of V4+ ions were identified by EPR investigations. The analysis of the EPR spectra suggests that isolated V4+ ions are located in sites with octahedral symmetry substituting for Ti4+ ions in the rutile structure. Magnetically interacting V4+ ions are also present as pairs or clusters giving rise to a broad and structureless EPR line. At higher concentration of V2O5, a partial oxidation of V4+ to V5+ is apparent from the EPR results.