Efficient One‐pot Zeolite Synthesis Protocol from the Metastable *BEA to MTW Topology and Its Impact on the Methanol‐to‐Hydrocarbons Process

Abstract

The inter‐zeolite conversion is a method to convert one meta‐stable zeolite to a thermodynamically stable zeolite. Despite the enormous interest, this method is yet to be popularized or standardized in the zeolite community. Intending to provide more insights into hydrothermal conversions from one zeolite to another, this work developed a novel one‐pot and flexible synthetic protocol to efficiently obtain the meta‐stable *BEA topology and its derived MTW topology by varying the hydrothermal crystallization time. This inter‐zeolite conversion process led to changes in the zeolite framework and modified physicochemical properties during the process. Such a transformation was feasible by forming hierarchical zeolite phases sharing a similar “mtw”‐based common building units, possibly driving such conversion. The structure‐reactivity relationship of four different zeolite materials, synthesized from this one‐pot inter‐zeolite conversion method, was established concerning their performance in the methanol‐to‐hydrocarbon (MTH) process, which has been well supported by operando UV‐vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopic study coupled with online mass spectrometry and solid‐state NMR spectroscopy. As a result, the pathway to synthesize various target zeolites from an identical initial synthesis gel with desired physicochemical properties has been scrutinized.