Surfactant-Assisted Synthesis of a Mesoporous Form of Zirconium Phosphate with Acidic Properties

Solid acids with porosity and intrinsic reactivity that can be tailored are required in catalysis. The sol-gel synthesis of zirconium phosphate, the most-studied member of a well-known family of layered solid acids, in the presence of a structure-directing cationic surfactant is described. The resulting mesoporous solids are shown to have a BET (Brunauer Emmett–Teller) surface area of 250–320 m2g–1 and a high surface acidity—following removal of the surfactant by acid-ethanol extraction or by calcination—that can be varied.