Alpha-amino acid assisted synthesis of ordered mesoporous alumina with tunable structural properties.

By using an alpha-amino acid as an interfacial protector and pH adjustor, we demonstrate the synthesis of the long-range ordered mesoporous alumina (OMA) via a modified solvent evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) method. Characterization results of XRD, TEM, and N 2 adsorption-desorption indicate that the long-range highly ordered OMA was successfully obtained by using aluminum iso -propoxide as a precursor and Pluronic P123 as a template via the alpha-amino acid assisted EISA process. Moreover, by simply changing the alpha-amino acid, the textural property of the OMA was easily regulated, the extent of which depends on the molecular structure and coordination ability of the alpha-amino acid. The facile formation of the long-range highly ordered OMA was explained based on the function of the alpha-amino acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]