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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2011
A new strategy to prepare alumina pillared α-zirconium phosphate with enhanced surface area and narrow pore size distribution is reported. The required precursor, a highly expanded single phase intercalate, is obtained in two steps. In the first one, the oligomeric solution of aluminium, prepared by dissolving aluminium in a solution of A1C13 at 95°C, is contacted with colloidal α-zirconium phosphate under reflux, in the presence of fluoride. Subsequently, the resulting intercalation compound is treated again with a diluted solution of fluoride under hydrothermal conditions at 200°C. It is thought that fluoride ions complex aluminium monomers present in the pillaring solutions, and remove aluminium from the external surface of the phosphate. The pillared materials obtained by calcination in the range 400-600°C present BET surface areas between 184-140 m2g−1 and basal spacings between 17.3-15.4 Å. These results contrast with those reported using classical methods, which systematically lead to materials with BET surface areas <80m2g−1.