The main aim of this investigation is to study the effect of three acid precursors (nitric acid, acetic acid and citric acid) during the synthesis of γ-Al2O3 nanopowder by the sol-gel method. The TEM analyses showed that the γ-Al2O3 prepared by using the strongest acid were irregular nanofibers with a length of 50 nm and a diameter of 5 nm, while the γ-Al2O3 prepared with citric acid showed agglomerates. On the other hand, the SEM analyses showed very similar morphologies. The N2-physisorption analyses confirmed that there is a relationship between the acidity and the surface area; and between the presence of mesopores and micropores on the surface of the synthesized Al2O3. The effect of the acid strength on the surface area was as follows: nitric acid (347 m2·g−1) > acetic acid (252 m2·g−1) > citric acid (164 m2·g−1). In addition, the XRD results confirmed that for all the samples thermally treated at 600 oC, the main phase was γ-Al2O3; nevertheless, the thermal analyses showed that the γ-Al2O3 synthesized with the weakest acid was not stable above 600 oC.

Keywords: γ-Alumina, Sol-Gel Method, nanopowder