Preparation, characterization, and catalytic performance of Ta-HMS mesoporous molecular sieve

Various Ta-HMS (hexagonal mesoporous silica) samples with different Ta content were hydrothermally prepared and characterized by XRD, N2-adsorption, ICP-AES, FTIR, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The catalytic performance of the samples was also evaluated in the epoxidation of cyclohexene with cumene hydroperoxide as oxidant. The regularity of mesoporous structure decreases while more extraframe Ta ions are formed with increasing the Ta content. Ta-HMS with Ta/Si ratio of 0.015 shows the highest conversion and selectivity in the studied epoxidation reaction. The catalyst can be used for three times without significant activity loss.