Synthesis of titanium silicalite-1 nanocrystals on silica nanofibers by steam-assisted dry gel conversion technique

Titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) nanocrystals were coated on silica nanofibers by steam-assisted dry gel conversion technique. The preparation was carried out by impregnating the silica nanofibers in the diluted TS-1 synthesis solution, followed by the steam treatment at 130 °C for 6 days. The products were characterized by XRD, UV-vis spectroscopy, N₂ sorption, SEM, and TEM. The results showed that TS-1 nanocrystals were grown on the silica nanofibers with a particle size of 10-20 nm. The resulting composites, with a BET surface area of 428 m²/g and a mesopore size of 4.4 nm, exhibited higher catalytic activity than conventionally hydrothermal synthesized TS-1 powders in the benzene hydroxylation with hydrogen peroxide.