Abstract:
The effect of addition of titania to silica was examined by various characterization techniques such as FT-IR, BET surface area, surface acid strength/acid sites by the Hammett indicator method and Bronsted/Lewis acid sites by pyridine adsorbed IR study. Ti-O-Si bond is formed in case of TiO2-SiO2 Sample, as observed from FT-IR data. Acid strength, surface acid sites, and rate constant for esterification of acetic acid are increased with Ti-O-Si bonding and sulfate impregnation. Both Bronsted and Lewis acid sites are responsible for catalysing the esterification reaction.