Seed-assisted sol–gel synthesis and characterization of nanoparticular V₂O₅/anatase

Nanoparticular supported vanadia materials with crystalline anatase support with a narrow size distribution around 12 nm have been synthesized by a new facile sol–gel, co-precipitation method using decomposable ammonium chloride seed crystals. The materials have been characterized by means of X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen physisorption. The synthesized high-surface area anatase particles allowed a loading of up to 15 wt.% vanadia without exceeding monolayer coverage of V₂O₅ in contrast to typical analogous industrial catalysts which only can accommodate 3–5 wt.% vanadia. These materials are promising candidates for improved catalysts for, e.g., oxidation reactions and selective catalytic reduction of NO_X in flue gases.