The layered α-ZrP was exfoliated by tetra-n-butylammonium hydroxide, masked as E-ZrP, then KH-580 was gifted on the surface of it, after oxidation and acidification, α-ZrP@SO3H was successfully prepared. The catalyst was characterized by XRD, SEM, BET, TGA and FT-IR. The results showed that the prepared catalyst had a larger specific surface area and a lower crystallinity, and its acid strength was 2.43 mmol/g. FT-IR analysis indicated that —SO3H was successfully gifted on α-ZrP. The catalyst was used in the esterification of lauric acid and methanol, and the esterification conditions were optimized as follows: temperature 90?℃, time 5 h, molar ratio of acid to methanol 1∶?30, catalyst dosage 3%(on the basis of lauric acid mass). Under the optimal conditions, the esterification rate was more than 97%. After used for three times, the catalyst still maintained high catalytic activity, and the esterification rate was 87.48%. |