Azeotropic distillation-assisted preparation of macro-mesostructured γ-Al2O3 nanofibres of crumpled sheet-like morphology

A three-step preparation of macro-mesostructured γ-Al2O3 nanofibres with a large pore volume of 4.21 cm3 g−1 and a high specific surface area of 396.3 m2 g−1 has been reported by H2O2-precipitated boehmite from sodium aluminate solution, followed with azeotropic distillation and calcination. The boehmite nanofibres of crumpled sheet-like morphology about 5–10 nm thick and over 100 nm long were preserved after calcination. A mechanism of n-butanol-induced crumpled sheet-like boehmite nanofibres formation was proposed. This interaction between butoxy groups (CH3(CH2)3O) and the surface of boehmite crystallites through hydrogen bonds induces profound changes in the morphology of boehmite particles and their growth.