A novel method to synthesis mesoporous alumina with visible emission by thermolysis of Al-based coordination polymer

Mesoporous alumina was first synthesized using a new route by thermolysis of Al-based coordination polymer (MIL-53(AI)) at 650 degrees C. The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). transmission electron microscopic (TEM), thermogravimetric (TG), nitrogen adsorption isotherms and photoluminescence (PL) spectra measurements. The results indicate that the obtained sample has ordered porous arrangements with narrow pore-size distributions (4-15 nm) and large surface areas (198 m(2) g(-1)). The as-synthesized mesoporous alumina exhibits a strong visible emission around 500 nm, which is associated with the F+ center. A formation mechanism of mesopores is also suggested on the basis of open architectures of MIL-53(AI). This thermolysis method provides a new approach to synthesize mesoporous alumina with strong and stable photoluminescence by using coordination polymers. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.