Influence of hydrothermal temperature on structure and microstructure of boehmite

Boehmites (Al2O3·xH2O) were hydrothermally prepared from aluminum alkoxide. The effect of temperature on preparation was studied in the range of 100–180 °C. The XRD analysis shows that with temperature increasing, the transformation of pseudo-boehmite into well-crystallized boehmite takes place. The micro-morphologies change also from irregular clew to thin cubic platelets. From the mass loss of the samples prepared at different temperatures, the value of x is estimated to vary between 1.06 and 1.67. γ-Al2O3 obtained by subsequent calcination of boehmite at 600 °C is also characterized by XRD and its morphology remains unchanged.