Hierarchically porous zirconium dioxide dual-templated by acacia mangium tannin extract and an amphiphilic triblock copolymer

In this article, a new hierarchical porous zirconia material with adjustable pore size is fabricated by using biomass materials of acacia mangium tannin extract (AMTE) and amphiphilic triblock copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-blockpoly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (P123) as a dual-template for the first time. All the raw materials we used are non-toxic and the synthesis process is relatively simple, low-cost, eco-friendly, and reproducible, which is suitable for large-scale production. A serious characterization of SEM, N₂ sorption isotherm, and Mercury intrusion porosimetry indicate that hierarchical porous ZrO₂ combining abundant mesopores and macropores was synthesized successfully by P123 and AMTE as a dual template. Intriguing, dual-templated ZrO₂ with hierarchical porosity has an advantage over single-templated samples in protein adsorption, especially for the large-sized proteins. Furthermore, the real sample test shows the synthesized material with a multidimensional porous structure displays the application potential in practical protein wastewater.