Synthesis and Characterisation of Sulfated Zirconia Sol-Gel Systems

A set of sulfated zirconia xerogels were prepared using a one and two step hydrolysis method, in different vessels (open or closed) and varying the molar ratio R = [HNO3]/[Zr(On-Pr)4]. In order to verify the influence of these variables on the gel time and the final samples, physisorpion, quantitative analysis of the sulfate, DTA and DTG, X-ray diffraction at small (SAXS) and wide (WAXS) angles, and FTIR measurements, were employed. The main differences were found regarding samples with different values of R. For samples with R constant, the preparation method and the kind of container employed only slightly influenced the samples.