Physico-Chemical Characterization of Alumina Sols Prepared From Aluminum Alcoxides

Abstract

ABSTRACTAlumina sols derived from aluminum sec-butoxide (Yoldas) were characterized. The distribution of the polymer sizes within the sol, determined by gel filtration chromatography (GFC), was found to be dramatically affected by small changes in the chemical processing or preparative procedure. Aging the sol at room temperature for two weeks produced no significant change in the GFC elution curves of the alumina sol. Sols with a “milky” appearance were found to exhibit a wider distribution of polymers by GFC than transparent sols. Rotary evaporation of the sol followed by redissolution of the residue was found to change the polymer size distribution described by the gel filtration elution curves. These observations coupled with 27Al NMR spectroscopy and viscometry measurements were used to elucidate the effects of process conditions and aging on the molecular structure of the sol.