Effect of surfactants on the structure and texture characteristics of aluminum oxide

The effect of surfactants (polyvinyl alcohol and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide), which were introduced at the aluminum hydroxide synthesis stage, on the structure and texture characteristics of aluminum oxide was studied by a set of physicochemical techniques. The introduction of the above surfactants did not cause considerable changes in the thermal transformations of aluminum hydroxides, but it affected the genesis of the formed carbon. An analysis of the diffuse reflectance spectra and electron micrographs indicated that the aluminum oxide obtained in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol and calcined at 300°C was covered with polyene-type coke. An increase in the treatment temperature to 550°C led to the formation of condensed aromatic coke; in this case, the specific surface area of the sample increased from 125 to 500 m 2 /g. The samples calcined at 550°C were γ-Al 2 O 3 with a unit cell parameter of 7.933 Å and a crystallite size of no more than 30–40 Å. The pore size distribution was bimodal, with maximums at 35–65 and 380–415 Å, regardless of treatment temperature.