Lewis acidic ZrTUD-1 as catalyst for tert-butylation of phenol

A series of TUD-1 structures incorporated with Zr4+ for creating Lewis acidity were prepared by employing tetraethylene glycol (TEG) as a simple organic templating agent. These materials have varying n(Si)/n(Zr) ratios and are shown to be disordered mesopores with narrow pore size distribution and a specific surface area of 600 m(2)/g. Three dimensional wormhole like pores with Zr4+ in tetrahedral coordination was confirmed by HRTEM and diffuse reflectance UV-vis, XPS studies, respectively. The moderate Lewis acidity of ZrTUD-1 is shown to be a promising catalyst for gas phase tert-butylation of phenol. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.