When impregnated with manganiferous precursors, γ-Al2O3 may be converted into α-Al2O3 under relatively mild and energy-saving conditions. In this work, a manganese assisted conversion to corundum at temperatures as low as 800 °C is investigated. To observe the alumina phase transition, XRD and solid-state 27Al-MAS-NMR are applied. By post-synthetical treatment in concentrated HCl, residual manganese is removed up to 3 wt.-%. Thereby, α-Al2O3 with a high specific surface area of 56 m2 g-1 is obtained after complete conversion. Just as for transition alumina, thermal stability is an important issue for corundum. Long-term stability tests were performed at 750 °C for 7 days. Although highly porous corundum was synthesized, the porosity decreased with time at common process temperatures.
Keywords: high specific surface area of 56 m2 g−1; low-temperature α-Al2O3; manganese-assisted synthesis.