Synthesis of sulfated titania supported on mesoporous silica using direct impregnation and its application in esterification of acetic acid and n-butanol

A new method has been developed for the preparation of sulfated titania (S-TiO2) supported on mesoporous silica. The use of direct exchange of metal containing precursors for the surfactants in the as-synthesized MCM-41 substrate produced a product with high sulfur content without serious blockage of the pore structure of MCM-41. The pore sizes and volumes of the resultant S-TiO2/MCM-41 composites were found to vary markedly with the loading of TiO2. The strong acidic character of the composites obtained was examined by using them as catalysts for the esterification of acetic acid and n-butanol.