Nanocrystalline gamma-alumina: A highly active catalyst for dimethyl ether synthesis

In this article, mesoporous nanocrystalline γ-Al2O3 with high surface area is synthesized by a simple sol–gel method with cationic surfactant as template. This sample is used for vapor-phase dehydration of methanol to Dimethyl ether. The synthesized catalyst showed a high surface area of 375 m2 g− 1 and a crystallite size of about 3.9 nm. NH3-TPD analysis revealed that the sample with smaller crystallite size possesses higher concentration of medium acidic sites and consequently the catalytic activity.