Preparation of mesoporous petal-like MgAl2O4 via molten-salt assisted nonhydrolytic sol–gel method

Highlights: • Mesoporous petal-like MgAl₂O₄ spinel has been prepared by molten salt assisted nonhydrolytic sol–gel method. • the achieved petal-like MgAl₂O₄ is highly uniformed in morphology. • Mg/Al molar ratio has a distinct effect on morphology and surface area of MgAl₂O_4. Mesoporous petal-like MgAl₂O₄ spinel has been prepared by molten salt assisted nonhydrolytic sol–gel method. The influence of Mg/Al molar ratio (0.45, 0.50, 0.55, 0.60, 0.70 and 0.80) on the morphology and surface area of MgAl₂O₄ was investigated. The results reveal that Mg/Al molar ratio has a significant influence on the morphology. At Mg/Al molar ratio of 0.7, the achieved petal-like MgAl₂O₄ is highly uniformed in morphology, the surface area and pore volume reached maximum values of 141 m²g⁻¹ and 0.24 cm³g⁻¹, respectively. These properties make it have promising applications in the catalyst support field.