Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethane on VMoTeNbО/SiO₂ Catalysts and the Effect of the Initial Support Compound on Their Physicochemical and Catalytic Properties

Silica-supported catalysts of cation composition V_0,3Mo₁Te_0,23Nb_0,12 are produced using slurry method with the nature of the initial compound for the support (TEOS, silica sol, silica gel, aerosil) being varied. The synthesized catalysts are characterized via nitrogen thermodesorption, chemical and X-ray analysis, and high resolution electron microscopy. Catalytic properties are studied in the reaction of ethane oxidative dehydeogenation at a temperature of 400°С in a reaction mixture with the composition С₂Н₆ : О₂ : N₂ = 10 : 10 : 80 (vol %). It is found that samples obtained with silica gel display the greatest activity, due to the formation of nanodomens of active phase M1 in the amorphous support matrix and its partial dispersion.