Thermostable sulfated 2-4 nm tetragonal ZrO2 with high loading in nanotubes of SBA-15: a superior acidic catalytic material.

The high-loaded (48-60 wt.%) 2-4 nm tetragonal ZrO2 phase inserted in mesostructured silica SBA-15 by chemical solution decomposition (CSD) of Zr(n-PrO)4 and activated at 873 K displayed approximately 3 times higher capacity for surface sulfate ions and, respectively, 1.5-2.