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

A series of mesoporous alumina was prepared using a selected group of saccharide molecules including glucose, sucrose, starch and β -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 (27Al MAS NMR) and N2 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.