Influence of peptization and ethanol washing on the pore-structure evolution of sol-gel-derived alumina catalyst supports

Alkoxide-derived boehmite precipitates were subjected to different post-precipitation treatments to obtain a peptized sol an unpeptized slurry, and an ethanol-washed gel precipitate. These materials were dried further to obtain the corresponding gels. Changes in the surface area, porosity, and pore size with temperature and the phase-transformation behavior from γ-alumina to α-alumina were studied using X-ray diffractometry, differential scanning calorimetry, and physical adsorption/desorption measurements. Gels that were obtained from the peptized sol retained the lowest porosity, in comparison to the ethanol-washed gel and the gel that was prepared from the aqueous slurry.