No abstract

No abstract

Interference microscopy is applied to carry out investigations of the influence of the regular intergrowth effects commonly observed in large silicalite-1 crystals on adsorption/desorption of isobutane. The intracrystalline concentration profiles measured by interference microscopy during adsorption of isobutane are compared with those simulated using the Monte Carlo method. The comparison of the simulated and the measured profiles allows the possibility that the uptake of isobutane from the gas phase into silicalite-1 crystals proceeds through the internal interfaces separating the intergrowth sections of the crystals to be ruled out. The diffusion coefficient of isobutane obtained by comparing the simulated and the measured concentration profiles is found to be in agreement with the previously reported diffusivities of isobutane in silicalite-1.

Interference microscopy and FTIR microscopy are applied to study intracrystalline concentration profiles of methanol in CrAPO-5 zeolite crystals. By using both techniques, the high spatial resolution of interference microscopy is complemented by the ability of FTIR spectroscopy to pinpoint adsorbates by their characteristic IR bands. For the first time two-dimensional concentration profiles of an unprecedented quality are reported which show a nonhomogeneous distribution of adsorbate in zeolite crystal under equilibrium with the adsorbate vapor. These nonhomogeneous profiles are attributed to regular intergrowth effects in CrAPO-5. A possible internal structure of CrAPO-5 crystals is suggested.