Facile synthesis and characterization of macro-mesoporous γ-Al2O3

Highly ordered macro-mesoporous gamma-Al2O3 was synthesized via a facile route. The samples were characterized by N-2 porosimetry, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and solid-state magic angle spinining nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR). The results showed that the synthesized porous gamma-Al2O3 had a larger specific surface area of ca. 320 m(2)/g with two well-defined pore networks concentrated at ca. 30 nm and 70 nm. Higher content of five-coordinated Al induced by the coexistence of macro-mesoporous network indicated a potential application as heterogeneous catalyst. A general mechanism for the formation of macro-mesoporous gamma-Al2O3 is also proposed. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.