Insight into the Property Modification of Zr‐Incorporated Alumina Binary Mixed Oxides by XRD, TEM, XPS, TPD and IR

Abstract

AbstractAl2O3 is known to be the most stable aluminum oxide and shows a large variety of applications. Incorporating a second metal to alumina is regarded as an effective strategy to modify its pristine material property. In this work, the binary ZrXAlOY (0 < X ≤ 1) mixed oxides synthesized by co‐precipitation method were studied by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), NH3 temperature‐programmed desorption (NH3‐TPD) and pyridine adsorbed infrared (IR). It was disclosed that Zr incorporation (i. e., Zr content) and calcination temperature would bring about significant modifications on the material property of ZrXAlOY compounds, such as crystal structure, valence state, surface acidity etc. Among the series ZrXAlOY mixed oxides investigated, the Zr0.1AlOY solid calcined at 400 °C presented a highest reactive surface area and a strongest interaction between Zr4+ cations and Al3+ cations, located either in the homogeneously distributed Zr‐Al mixed oxide or at the ZrO2/Al2O3 interface. Thus an optimal proportion of Lewis acid sites with strong strength was obtained on this compound, which could be beneficial to acid‐catalyzed reactions either as catalyst or support material.