Different factors in the preparation of ZrO~2-pillared zirconium phosphate were explored systematically. An appropriate concentration of Zr^4^+, a lower reaction temperature, and a longer reaction time facilitate the formation of stable ZrO~2-pillared zirconium phosphates. A pillared structure with surface area of 107～183m^2/g and pore size of 2.5nm was obtained after calcination at 250℃. The ZrO~2 pillars and the zirconium phosphate sheets were linked through P-O-Zr bonding. IR pyridine-adsorption studies indicate that surface acid sites of the pillared samples are mainly Lewis acid sites. These pillared materials showed good activities in dehydration of isopropanol and reduction of benzaldehyde. Owing to the large surface area and good mesoporosity, their specific activities in the reactions are higher than those of pure ZrO~2, implying that they are new hopeful materials for preparing acid catalysts or acid-base bifunctional catalysts.

Key words: ZIRCONIUM PHOSPHATE, ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS, ZIRCONIUM OXIDE, ACID-CATALYSED, ACID-BASE CATALYSTS, CATALYTIC ACTIVITY, ACID PROPERTY, COMPOUND CHARACTERIZATION