Abstract

This paper presents the synthesis of mesoporous aluminosilicates from a hybrid organic-inorganic xerogel, using the chitosan biopolymer together with a hydrothermal treatment process as structural modeling tools. The properties of the material obtained point to an important role of the chitosan as a stabilizer of the structural lattice. In a second step, Zeolite ZSM-5 is incorporated into the material. This Zeolite is produced in situ by a hydrothermal synthesis process using tetrapropylammonium hydroxide. The final material has a surface area greater than 200 m2/g, with a pore diameter and volume of 190 Å and 1.15 cm3/g, respectively. By comparison with the characteristics of its blank parent sample, the role of the chitosan as a mesoporosity generator and stabilizer of the chitosan lattice incorporated in the precursor xerogel was established. Because of this property, the material has a good hydrothermal stability, in contrast with the material prepared without chitosan. This allows it to be considered as a potential catalyst for the transformation of large molecules.