Supercritical Fluid Extraction of a Novel Template from Mesoporous Zirconia and the Effect on Porous Structure

Mesoporous zirconia was synthesized by a new and simple method. Zirconium n-propoxide was used as the zirconium source. A small, inexpensive nonsurfactant, triethanolamine, was used as the template. The template was removed by thermal treatment in air and supercritical fluid extraction using CO₂. The structure of the resulting materials was characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and N₂ adsorption-desorption analyses. The materials are found to have narrowly distributed average pore diameters and wormhole-like pore channels. However, higher surface area and larger pore volume are exhibited after supercritical fluid extraction with CO₂. The removal of the template by thermal treatment also leads to condensation and mild shrinkage of the zirconia framework.