Novel non-hydrolytic templated sol–gel synthesis of mesoporous aluminosilicates and their use as aminolysis catalysts

Abstract

A novel non-hydrolytic sol–gel (NHSG) synthesis of mesoporous aluminosilicate xerogels is presented. The polycondensation between silicon acetate, Si(OAc)₄, and tris(dimethylamido)alane, Al(NMe₂)₃, leads to homogeneous aluminosilicate xerogels containing Si–O–Al linkages through dimethylacetamide elimination. The addition of Pluronic P123 and F127 templates provides stiff gels that are, after calcination at 500 °C, converted to stable mesoporous xerogels with a high surface area (>600 m² g⁻¹) and wormhole-type pores (d = 5.9 nm). The xerogels exhibit high catalytic activity in aminolysis of styrene oxide (82% conversion) with the turnover frequency up to 100.