Mesoporous zinc aluminate (ZnAl2O4) nanocrystal: Synthesis, structural characterization and catalytic performance towards phenol hydroxylation

• Rhombus-shaped mesoporous ZnAl2O4 (Meso-ZA) nanocrystal was fabricated.
• The obtained Meso-ZA possesses high thermal stability and rich Lewis acid sites.
• The Meso-ZA exhibits a superior catalytic performances on phenol hydroxylation.

Mesoporous zinc aluminate (ZnAl2O4) nanocrystal with rhombus-shaped morphology was for the first time synthesized by a vacuum-promoted self-assembly and alkaline hydrothermal approach. The obtained mesoporous ZnAl2O4 (Meso-ZA) was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen sorption, transmission electron micrograph (TEM), pyridine adsorbed infrared spectra (Pyridine-FTIR) and temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH3-TPD). The characterization results indicate that the final Meso-ZA possesses rhombus-shaped morphology, worm-like mesoporous structure, crystalline framework, narrow pore size distribution, large surface area (up to 216 m2/g) and rich surface Lewis acid sites. The catalytic test on phenol hydroxylation shows that the synthesized Meso-ZA exhibits a superior catalytic performances to titanium silicalite (TS-1) and bulk zinc aluminate.

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