Novel synthesis of ordered mesoporous materials Al-MCM-41 from bentonite

This paper reports the synthesis of ordered mesoporous materials Al-MCM-41 with a specific surface area of 1018 m²/g from bentonite. Pretreated bentonite was simultaneously used as silica and aluminum sources without addition of silica or aluminum reagents. Orthogonal experiments were adopted to optimize the processing parameters. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), N₂ adsorption–desorption measurements and Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) techniques. The obtained materials were hexagonal Al-MCM-41. Calcination removed the surfactant while new bonds increased the crosslinking of the frameworks. Proper Si/Al molar ratio was critical for the formation of highly ordered mesoporous materials.