Work

Optimising the structure of mesoporous niobium oxide using evaporation-induced self-assembly synthesis method

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Niobium(V) oxide (Nb2O5) is an interesting semiconductor due to its highly acidic surface. Mesoporous materials offer a large accessible surface area that is crucial for enhancing the catalytic performance. The evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) synthesis method is well suited for the synthesis of mesoporous structures, but the optimisation of synthesis parameters for Nb2O5 is still limited. In this study, we demonstrate that the synthesis parameters — duration of evaporation, airflow rate, relative humidity and water content in the reaction mixture — significantly affect the specific surface area, mesoporous structure and photocatalytic activity of Nb2O5. Out results show that a combination of long evaporation duration, low airflow rate, low relative humidity and moderate water content are needed to obtain material with the highest specific surface area (145 m2·g−1) and a narrow hysteresis loop in the N2 sorption isotherm. This material exhibits four times higher photocatalytic activity compared to materials synthesised under less favourable conditions. We show that the ordered mesoporous structure plays an important role in improving the photocatalytic performance of the materials with the same specific surface area. These results provide valuable insights for optimising the synthesis of mesoporous niobium oxide to increase both the specific surface area and photocatalytic activity.

Source: Microporous and Mesoporous Materials

DOI: 10.1016/j.micromeso.2025.113994