On the TEM and AFM Evidence of Zeosil Nanoslabs Present during the Synthesis of Silicalite‐1

Design and Synthesis of Hierarchical Materials from Ordered Zeolitic Building Units

“…A slight confusion arose after the original publication due to the presence of NaCl in the samples used for TEM studies. [25] It could be shown, however, that NaCl itself does not form entities of the observed shape and size. Instead, it was discovered that sodium cations closely interact with the negative charges on the anionic nanoslabs.…”

Organization of Zeolite Microcrystals for Production of Functional Materials

“…We originally proposed that nanoslabs 45 were the reactive silicon species. However, the disproval of the existence of nanoslabs 46,47 suggests that systematic intensive research is necessary to elucidate the mechanism of the above highly intriguing phenomenon.…”

Assembly of Zeolites and Crystalline Molecular Sieves

“…40,45 Martens and co-workers 40 claimed to have images of the 4-nm × 4-nm × 1.3-nm and subsequent tablets formed as they begin to group together. However, when repeating the experiments, Tsapatsis and co-workers 43 concluded that the images reported by Martens and co-workers were likely due to residual sodium chloride contamination and that no evidence of nanoslabs was actually shown. Kremer et al claimed to have created a mesoporous material by arranging, or tiling, nanoslabs 45 Tsapatsis and co-workers pointed out that the images shown by Kremer et al were typical of mesoporous materials and provide no evidence as to the existence of nanoslabs.…”

“…Through a variety of experimental techniques, including infrared (IR), 29 Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray diffraction and scattering (XRD and XRS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), they claimed that nanoslabs with dimensions 4 nm ×4 nm ×1.3 nm exist in the clear-solution synthesis of silicalite-1, agglomerate into larger tablet-type particles, and then agglomerate into silicalite crystals. [36][37][38][39][40] However, three recent articles by Knight and Kinrade, 41 Lobo and co-workers, 42 and Tsapatsis and co-workers 43 argued that there is no unambiguous proof of the existence of these nanoblocks. Knight and Kinrade pointed out that the concept of nanoblocks has been debated in the literature for over 40 years, and the concept is continually viewed with skepticism.…”

“…Tsapatsis and co-workers 43 addressed the TEM imaging of nanoslabs that have been presented in two articles. 40,45 Martens and co-workers 40 claimed to have images of the 4-nm × 4-nm × 1.3-nm and subsequent tablets formed as they begin to group together.…”