Novel Preparation of Vanadyl Pyrophosphate for Selective Oxidation of <i>n</i>-Butane Utilizing Intercalation and Exfoliation

Abstract

Abstract Intercalation–exfoliation of VOPO4·2H2O crystallites (20 µm in size) in 2-butanol, followed by reduction with 2-butanol, brought about thin layers of precursor, VOHPO4·0.5H2O, with size of about 2 µm. The obtained vanadyl pyrophosphate (27 m2 g−1) and the corresponding SiO2 composite were highly active and selective for selective oxidation of n-butane.