Preparation of a novel mesoporous solid base Na–ZrO2 with ultra high thermal stability

In the synthesis of mesoporous zirconia with a high thermal stability, NaOH solution post-treatment played dual roles: it remarkably improved the thermal stability of mesoporous zirconia, and led to the specific area of the as-made product reached nearly 200 m2 g−1 upon calcination at 700 °C for 4 h. At the same time, a mesoporous strong solid base, Na–ZrO2, was formed after the sodium ions incorporated into the zirconia network. As a result, such a material exhibited a high activity towards the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) from methanol and propylene carbonate (PC).