A zeolitic vanadotungstate family with structural diversity and ultrahigh porosity for catalysis.

Abstract

Design of the structure and composition of crystalline microporous inorganic oxides is of great importance in catalysis. Developing new zeolites is one approach towards this design because of the tunable pore system and high thermal stability. Zeolites are limited to main group elements, which limits their applications in redox catalysis. Another promising choice is zeolitic transition metal oxides providing both porosity and redox activity, thereby further expanding the diversity of porous materials. However, the examples of zeolitic transition metal oxides are rare. Here, we report a new class of zeolitic vanadotungstates with tunable frameworks exhibiting a large porosity and redox activity. The assembly of [W₄O₁₆]^8- units with VO²⁺ forms two isomeric porous frameworks. Owing to the complex redox properties and open porosity, the vanadotungstates efficiently catalyse the selective reduction of NO by NH₃. This finding provides an opportunity for design and synthesis of inorganic multifunctional materials for future catalytic applications.