Thermostable sulfated 2–4 nm tetragonal ZrO2 with high loading in nanotubes of SBA-15: a superior acidic catalytic material

The high-loaded (48–60 wt.%) 2–4 nm tetragonal ZrO2 phase inserted in mesostructured silica SBA-15 by chemical solution decomposition (CSD) of Zr(n-PrO)4 and activated at 873 K displayed ~3 times higher capacity for surface sulfate ions and, respectively, 1.5–2.2 times higher catalytic activity per gram of SO4-ZrO2/SBA-15 composite in condensation of MeOH with t-BuOH and dehydration of isopropanol compared with the regular bulk sulfated zirconia material.