A study of tin dioxide and antimony tetroxide supported vanadium oxide catalysts by solid-state 51V and 1H NMR techniques.

A series of vanadia catalysts with various V2O5 loadings supported on SnO2 and alpha-Sb2O4 are investigated by the application of X-ray diffraction and solid-state 51V and 1H NMR techniques. XRD results show no evidence for the formation of a crystalline vanadia phase on both supports. However, the 51V NMR spectra of the catalysts reveal the existence of two types of vanadia species on the surface of the support: one due to a dispersed vanadia phase at lower vanadia loadings and the other due to a crystalline vanadia phase at higher vanadium content. The quantity of the dispersed vanadia phase, however, depends on the nature of the support material. The 1H NMR results provide evidence for the existence or non-existence of a metal oxide support interaction through the support surface hydroxyl groups.