Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous gamma-alumina templated by saccharide molecules

A series of mesoporous alumina was prepared using a selected group of saccharide molecules including glucose, sucrose, starch and beta-cyclodextrin as structure-directing templates in aqueous system. The influence of pH value was also investigated. The products were characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Magic-Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (Al-27 MAS NMR) and N-2 sorption methods. The results show that the properties of products are influenced by the initial pH value of the system, and the molecular size of the templates has a great effect on the physical properties of products. According to the results and disccusion, the templating formation mechanism was tentatively postulated. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.