Assembling mode of alumina and zirconia particles inside the mesopores of SBA-15 under high loading

Loading high amount (> 30 wt%) of alumina and zirconia inside the mesopores of SBA-15 was accomplished by a simple procedure, wet impregnation and followed that by calcination and also by a procedure invented by us viz. loading the precursors and internally hydrolyze them inside the pores by employing NH 3 /H 2 O vapour at elevated temperature and subsequent calcination (VIH method). Loading without NH 3 /H 2 O vapour treatment caused pore blocking. But loading via VIH method led to alumina coated SBA-15 with relatively minimal pore blocking and zirconia coated SBA-15 without any pore blocking. Characterization of the prepared materials indicated that alumina prefers to be present inside the pores as nanocrystals where as zirconia coats on the pore walls as layer showing that the assembling mode of alumina and zirconia inside the mesopores of SBA-15 are different.