Effect of aging temperature during refluxing on the textural and surface acidic properties of zirconia catalysts

Hydrous zirconia was synthesized via precipitation method, and effect of aging temperature during refluxing (30-100 °C) precursor solution was investigated. We found that the aging temperature influenced on structural and textural properties of the hydrous zirconia, with variations in the textural properties leading to changes in the surface properties of calcined zirconia, including the acid functionalities. In addition, ZrO2 aged at 100 °C exhibited the highest specific surface area and the highest Lewis and Brönsted acidities among the samples. Finally, enhanced catalytic activity was also observed for the ZrO2 samples prepared at higher aging temperatures in the dehydration of iso-propanol.