Improvement of Both the Acidity and Stability of MCM-41 by Post-synthesis Alumination

Post-synthesis alumination of MCM-41 is found to substantially enhance the material’s: (1) surface acidity, by increasing its number of Lewis and Br?nsted acid sites; (2) physical stability, by improving its hydrothermal stability in boiling water and in high-temperature steam; (3) mechanical stability, by minimizing the collapse of its mesopores under high pressure compression; and (4) chemical stability, by improving its resistance in high pH aqueous solution.