A series of mesoporous Mg-Zr solid solutions were prepared by surfactant assisted co-precipitation method under different conditions. The effects of preparation parameters on the structural properties and the CO2 capture performance of the samples were investigated. The results indicated that the optimum preparation parameters included a precipitating agent of NaOH, a calcination temperature of 600 degrees C and a refluxing time of 48 h. The Mg-Zr samples under the optimum preparation conditions exhibited high thermal stability, high specific surface area (269 cm(2)/g) and abundant basic sites (0.94 mmol/g). The advantages of these structural properties of the samples greatly facilitated CO2 adsorption, and the CO2 adsorption capacity of the sample reached a maximum of 1.28 mmol/g under the optimum conditions. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.