Synthesis of mesoporous alumina through photo cross-linked poly(dimethylacrylamide) hydrogels

Catalysis plays a central role in many fields of life, e.g., in biochemical processes, to reduce energy costs and resources in chemical industry and to decrease or even avoid environmental pollution and in energy management. Porous alumina (Al₂O₃) is an essential material in various applications, especially as a support material for catalysts. It is often prepared by nanocasting using porous carbon materials that serve as rigid structure matrices. In this work, an alternative way to synthesize mesoporous Al₂O₃ by using hydrogels as porogenic material is presented. Hydrogels can easily be patterned by light and used to imprint their structure onto alumina opening a new approach to fabricate patterned Al₂O₃. The hydrogels used in this work are based on poly(dimethylacrylamide) and were photo-chemically cross-linked. Followed by a nanocasting process, mesoporous alumina samples were synthesized and characterized by N₂ physisorption and X-ray diffraction. The cross-linker amount in the polymer network was varied and the influence on the properties of the Al₂O₃ is analyzed.