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Preparation of meso-macro bimodal porous amorphous silica-alumina as an acidic catalyst

  • Invited Paper: Sol-gel and hybrid materials for catalytic, photoelectrochemical and sensor applications
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Abstract

A bimodal amorphous silica-alumina with macropores and mesopores of sizes 2–4 µm and 10 nm, respectively, was prepared with an alumina content of up to 30 wt% using a sol–gel method. The requisite amount of water to generate the 2–4 µm macropores decreased with increasing alumina content. However, this decrease reached a limiting value, and the gelation temperature needed to be increased at alumina contents ≥20 wt%. Because the alkaline resistance increases with increasing alumina content, the aging temperature needed to be increased to obtain 10 nm mesopores. In the acidic isomerization of 1-octene over silica-alumina, homogeneous sol–gel samples were more active than those heterogeneously impregnated. The conversion of 1-octene increased with increasing alumina content up to 15 wt%, while the activity decreased above 30 wt% because of because of Al2O3 aggregation. The catalytic results, together with the temperature-programmed desorption of NH3, indicate that the sol–gel sample generates Brønsted acid sites via the formation of Si-O-Al bonds, whereas the impregnated sample probably generates Lewis acid sites.

Graphical abstract

Highlights

  • Meso-macro bimodal amorphous silica-alumina with a mesopore size of 10 nm was prepared using a sol–gel method.

  • The morphology changed with increasing content of water and alumina.

  • The sol–gel sample showed an improved 1-octene conversion compared to the impregnated sample at all alumina contents.

  • The sol–gel sample mainly generated Brønsted acid sites via the formation of Si-O-Al bonds.

  • The impregnated sample probably generated Lewis sites owing to the aggregation of alumina on the surface.

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Acknowledgements

The SEM observation was conducted at the Advanced Research Support Center, Ehime University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyocho, Matsuyama, Ehime, 790-8577, Japan

    Maki Inoue, Ryoji Takahashi & Fumiya Sato

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  1. Maki Inoue
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  2. Ryoji Takahashi
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  3. Fumiya Sato
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Contributions

MI performed most of the experimental steps, such as sample preparation, catalytic tests, TPD, and N2 adsorption, summarized the data, and wrote the first draft. FS designed the study and edited the paper. RT supervised this study from the perspective of inorganic chemistry.

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Correspondence to Fumiya Sato.

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Inoue, M., Takahashi, R. & Sato, F. Preparation of meso-macro bimodal porous amorphous silica-alumina as an acidic catalyst. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 104, 617–626 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-022-05969-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-022-05969-9

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