Preparation of MgO–Al2O3 binary gel system with mesoporous structure

A series of MgO–Al2O3 samples with MgO to Al2O3 molar ratio of 2:1, 1:1, 0.2:1, have been synthesized by a sol–gel technique from two different precursors of magnesium i.e. magnesium methoxide and metallic magnesium. Both series have been characterized by thermal analysis, XRD, and TEM. On the basis of the low temperature nitrogen adsorption the porous structure has been determined. It has been established that the structure of the binary gel system obtained with the use of metallic Mg as a precursor of MgO is much more uniform than when Mg(OCH3)2 is used, however, the samples with the spinel stoichiometry i.e. 1:1 obtained by either of the techniques differ distinctly from the others.