Novel titanium-containing precursors for the fabrication of hierarchical TS-1 and the enhanced catalytic performance for olefins.

[Display omitted] • Novel titanium-containing precursors was used to prepare hierarchical TS-1. • The mesopore volume and framework Ti contents were enhanced due to diphenolics. • The conversion and selectivity in 1-hexene epoxidation was greatly improved. Hierarchical TS-1 zeolites with high catalytic activities toward 1-hexene epoxidation were successfully synthesized by using novel titanium-containing precursors. The precursors were prepared by o / m / p -dihydroxybenzene with tetrabutyl titanate, which not only promote the uniform distribution of titanium sources and reduce the aggregation of Ti species, but also contribute to regulating the coordination state of Ti species and increasing the frameworks Ti contents. TS- m / p -DHB-48h zeolites display excellent catalytic performance in the epoxidation reaction of 1-hexene, and the conversion improved by 41.9 % and 34.7 %, respectively. The hierarchical zeolites also exhibit superior 1,2-epoxyhexane selectivity, which will greatly improve the efficiency of industrial production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]