To increase heavy oil conversion by hydrocracking, the larger pore opening mesoporous materials with enhanced acidity and hydrothermal stability are required. A series of mesoporous Al-SBA-15 was studied in acid-free and different HCl concentration solutions with various initial SiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 molar ratio. The final product samples were characterized with N 2 adsorption, SAXS/XRD, NH 3-TPD, TEM, 28 Si NMR, and 27 Al NMR. The results concluded that the acid-free and weak acidic medium favor the formation of the Al-SBA-15 with better textual properties, higher acidity, and higher wall-thickness. A considerable amount of Al was present in the tetrahedral form.