Improving
the stability of porous materials for practical applications
is highly challenging. Aluminosilicate zeolites are utilized for adsorptive
and catalytic applications, wherein they are sometimes exposed to
high-temperature steaming conditions (∼1000 °C). As the
degradation of high-silica zeolites originates from the defect sites
in their frameworks, feasible defect-healing methods are highly demanded.
Herein, we propose a method for healing defects to create extremely
stable high-silica zeolites. High-silica (SiO2/Al2O3 > 240) zeolites with *BEA-, MFI-, and MOR-type topologies
could be stabilized by significantly reducing the number of defect
sites via a liquid-mediated treatment without using additional silylating
agents. Upon exposure to extremely high temperature (900–1150
°C) steam, the stabilized zeolites retain their crystallinity
and micropore volume, whereas the parent commercial zeolites degrade
completely. The proposed self-defect-healing method provides new insights
into the migration of species through porous bodies and significantly
advances the practical applicability of zeolites in severe environments.
Characteristics of zeolite formation, such as being kinetically slow and thermodynamically metastable, are the main bottlenecks that obstruct a fast zeolite synthesis. We present an ultrafast route, the first of its kind, to synthesize high-silica zeolite SSZ-13 in 10 min, instead of the several days usually required. Fast heating in a tubular reactor helps avoid thermal lag, and the synergistic effect of addition of a SSZ-13 seed, choice of the proper aluminum source, and employment of high temperature prompted the crystallization. Thanks to the ultra-short period of synthesis, we established a continuous-flow preparation of SSZ-13. The fast-synthesized SSZ-13, after copper-ion exchange, exhibits outstanding performance in the ammonia selective catalytic reduction (NH3 -SCR) of nitrogen oxides (NOx ), showing it to be a superior catalyst for NOx removal. Our results indicate that the formation of high-silica zeolites can be extremely fast if bottlenecks are effectively widened.
Nepheline group materials obtained by a thermal treatment of K2CO3-supported nanosized sodalite are identified as cost-effective materials which show promising activity and durability toward diesel soot combustion.
We demonstrate morphology dependence of mesoporous silica synthesized in acidic condition via the control
of silica hydrolysis and condensation at 4 °C under quiescent acidic condition, and without using any organic
cosolvents. Tetramethyl orthosilicates (TMOS) is used as a silica source and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride
(CTAC) as the structure directing agent (SDA). Straight fibers of different aspect ratio with pore channels
aligned parallel to the fiber axis are synthesized by varying TMOS from the sols of molar compositions
0.17−0.32TMOS:0.22CTAC:9HCl:100H2O. Curved morphologies such as discoids and spheres are prepared
by controlling acidity in the sols of molar compositions 0.17TMOS:0.22CTAC:14−16HCl:100H2O. The
mesoporous silica particles show BET surface area of 1100−1400 cm3/g, and the mesopore diameter and
mesopore volume are in the range of 2.2−2.6 nm and 0.6−0.8 cm3/g, respectively.
SSZ-33 is tested for possible application as a hydrocarbon trap by investigating the temperature-programmed
desorption behavior of toluene (used as a probe molecule) and the results are compared to those obtained
with zeolites β, Y, mordenite, and ZSM-5. SSZ-33 shows higher adsorption capacity than the other zeolites
at the conditions used here, and as well as better hydrothermal stability than zeolite β, and is therefore identified
as a promising candidate for use as a hydrocarbon trap in cold-start emission control.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.