Macroporous Vanadium Phosphorus Oxide Phases Displaying Three-Dimensional Arrays of Spherical Voids

Macroporous vanadium phosphorus oxide (VPO) phases with remarkable compositional, structural, and morphological properties have been synthesized employing monodisperse polystyrene sphere arrays as a template. Colloidal polystyrene spheres were ordered into close-packed arrays by sedimentation or centrifugation. Depending on the choice of VPO sources and the template removal method, various crystalline VPO phases were obtained. The macroscale-templated synthesis produced VPO phases with unprecedented high surface areas (75 m2/g); desirable macroporous architecture; optimal bulk compositions (P/V ≈ 1.1); desirable vanadium oxidation states (4.1−4.4); and preferential exposure of the surface (100) planes of VO2P2O7, the proposed active and selective phase for the partial oxidation of n-butane.