S. Valange et al., Synthesis strategies leading to surfactant-assisted aluminas with controlled mesoporosity in aqueous media, MICROP M M, 35-6, 2000, pp. 597-607
This paper reports a variety of synthesis pathways leading to thermally sta
ble mesoporous aluminum oxide phases, based on cooperative self-assembly of
inorganic and surfactant species. All the mesostructured phases were obtai
ned in aqueous media by hydrolysis and condensation of different inorganic
aluminum reactants involving monomeric cations such as [Al(H2O)(6)](3+) and
/or oligomeric cationic species such as Keggin aluminum clusters, in the pr
esence of single (anionic or non-ionic) or mixed (cationic-anionic) surfact
ant micelles, at pH values lower than the isoelectric point of alumina, typ
ically 8-9, Selected anionic surfactants were dodecyl sulfate or carboxylic
acids, optionally admired with small amounts of cetyltrimethylammonium bro
mide, while the non-ionic surfactants belong to the polyethyleneglycol-phen
ylether and the amine-N-oxide families. Most of the mesophases proved therm
ostable and exhibited a regular porous structure. Strongly depending on the
synthesis and calcination conditions, their mean pore diameters vary betwe
en 8 and 60 Angstrom and their specific surface areas range between 300 and
820 m(2) g(-1). (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V, All rights reserved.