A series of sulphated zirconia (SZ) catalysts supported on MCM-41 were prepared by the liquid-crystal template method (LCT), using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr) as template. The effect of metal oxides promotion (Al2O3, Fe2O3 and Ga2O3) on structural and textural property was studied. These materials were characterized by ion chromatography (for the determination of sulphates content), nitrogen-adsorption measurements, X-ray diffraction, FIF-IR spectroscopy, TG-DSC analysis and TPR-MS measurements. The catalytic performance of the catalysts in both gas and liquid phase reactions was investigated. A correlation between morphological and chemical physical features of the systems and their catalytic activity is here proposed. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.