Template-free synthesis of 3D hierarchical amorphous aluminum oxide microspheres with broccoli-like structure and their application in fluoride removal

Abstract

3D hierarchical amorphous aluminum oxide microspheres with broccoli-like structures were synthesized successfully via a facile method without using any template. A multistep crystal adsorption-splitting growth mechanism is proposed to understand the formation of this material. It displayed an excellent adsorption performance for fluoride, and the adsorption capacity can reach 126.9 mg g⁻¹.