Self-Assembled Mesoporous Zirconia and Sulfated Zirconia Nanoparticles Synthesized by Triblock Copolymer as Template

Self-assembled highly crystalline ZrO₂ nanoparticles with mesoscopic ordering have been synthesized by a simple chemical process, evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA), in the presence of an amphiphilic block copolymer, pluoronic F127, as template. The mesoscopic assembly of the ZrO₂ nanoparticles and the crystallinity of the pore walls were studied by using small- and wide-angle X-ray powder diffractions and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image analysis. N₂ sorption studies and high-resolution TEM results further revealed that mesopores are formed by the regular arrangement of the ca. 7.0 nm size nanoparticles and their broad interparticle pore size distribution. This mesoporous ZrO₂ nanomaterial has been sulfated by 1 N sulfuric acid, and the resulting sulfated material showed strong acidity in NH₃−temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) analysis. Catalytic activity of the mesoporous sulfated zirconia material has been utilized in the Friedel−Crafts alkylation (benzylation) of mesitylene, where it showed excellent catalytic efficiency for the monoalkylated products.