Construction of γ-Al2O3 (100) crystal planes based on octanol directional transmission and hydrogen bond adsorption in microchannels

The exposure of crystal planes is a crucial determinant of support activity and effective metal anchoring in catalysis. Herein, we develop an efficient process for designing the crystal planes of alumina microspheres. The mechanism involves hydrogen bond adsorption between octanol and boehmite, alongside the hindrance effect of hydrophobic carbon chains on hydration layer, to achieve effective exposure of the γ-Al 2 O 3 (100) crystal plane. HRTEM and 27 Al NMR analyses confirm that the proportion of exposed γ-Al 2 O 3 (100) plane increases to 59% following octanol directional adsorption. Moreover, microfluidic field measurements demonstrate that the microchannel enhances mass transfer to facilitate octanol directional transmission and hydrogen bond adsorption within the sol droplet. This approach ultimately enables integrated reshaping of alumina microspheres with a 2.7-fold increase in the γ-Al 2 O 3 (100) plane exposure. This study provides an effective operational paradigm for achieving support crystal plane exposure in industrial applications.