Tailoring silicalite-1 crystal morphology with molecular modifiers

Modified point of view: A bio-inspired approach was used to tailor silicalite-1 crystallization. Growth modifiers (ZGMs) with molecular recognition for binding to specific crystal faces produced drastic changes in zeolite crystal morphology. This facile approach offers an efficient method for tuning zeolite properties.     

Extensions in the synthesis and catalytic application of titanium silicalite-1

Titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) was prepared by microwave heating of a SiO₂–TiO₂ xerogel, which was dry-impregnated with tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH). Highly crystalline product was obtained, with the yields higher than 90%, within 30 min after microwave irradiation. These are significant advantages over the conventional oven heating using alkoxide precursors in liquid phase, which requires 1-2 day crystallization time with low product yields. Sub-micron sized SiO₂–TiO₂ prepared by thermal plasma process and Ti-containing mesoporous silica, Ti-HMS, were also tested as the solid phase precursor for TS-1. These were found inferior as precursor due to difficulties in uniformly wetting the surface with TPAOH. It was possible to prepare TS-1 using diethoxysiloxane-ethyltitanate (DESET, 93.75 mol Si:6.25 mol Ti) as a single mixed alkoxide precursor, but titanium species in the sample were highly unstable and large fraction of them came out from the framework to form TiO₂ clusters upon calcination. In addition, TS-1 monolith was prepared utilizing polyurethane foam as an infiltration medium of the synthesis gel. The prepared TS-1 monolith exhibited properties similar to those of TS-1 powders, but the elementary unit of the former was made of 1–2 micron-sized hexagonal shaped crystals, causing diffusion problems. Catalytic activities of all the prepared catalysts were evaluated using 1-hexene epoxidation as a probe reaction, and 2,5-dihydrofuran epoxidation was also examined using TS-1 as an alternative process to make 3,4-epoxytetrahydrofuran.     

Anionic microemulsion-mediated low temperature synthesis of anisotropic silicalite-1 nanocrystals

The low-temperature (368 K) synthesis of silicalite-1 nanocrystals in anionic microemulsions is reported. In the presence of AOT/isooctane mixtures silicalite-1 nanocrystals can be formed that are coffin-shaped and approximately 100 x 40 x 200 nm in size. This is in contrast to samples made without the microemulsion under the same conditions where irregular spherical particles approximately 100 nm in diameter are formed. The current work shows that, in contrast to previous work in this area, the anionic microemulsions cannot stabilize colloidal silica due to the strong repulsive electrostatic forces between the anionic silicate species and the surfactant headgroup. The crystal morphology of the silicalite-1 obtained is also shown to be sensitive to the surfactant identity as syntheses using SDS/heptane/butanol mixtures lead to different morphologies. It is also possible to uncouple zeolite nucleation from growth in these systems. This was demonstrated by adding a solution containing 25 nm silicalite-1 nanocrystals to the AOT/isooctane mixture, which leads to large micron-sized spheres of silicalite-1 containing large mesopores. This report demonstrates that anionic microemulsions lead to fundamentally different crystal habits than the nonionic or cationic microemulsions investigated previously. The future outlook for the use of microemulsion-mediated zeolite growth is also discussed.     

Multi-phase equilibrium microemulsions and synthesis of hierarchically structured calcium carbonate through microemulsion-based routes

Middle-phase microemulsions (MPMs) in two systems of a cationic surfactant, tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTABr)/n-butanol/iso-octane/Na2CO3 or CaCl2 and an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)/n-butanol/iso-octane/Na2CO3 or CaCl2, were used to synthesize nanostructured calcium carbonates. MPMs provide a simple and versatile reaction media, i.e., upper-phase W/O, BC, and O/W structured equilibrium microemulsions to be used for synthesizing hierarchically structured CaCO3 at the nanometer scale. On the basis of the investigations on the phase behavior of the MPMs, hierarchically structured calcium carbonates with dendrites, ellipsoids, square-schistose cubes, and spheres were synthesized through the MPM-based routes.     

Novel method for synthesis of titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1)

Titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) was easily synthesized using inorganic silicon and titanium source, tetrapropylammonium bromide (TPABr) or TPAOH as templating molecule, NH3· H2O, HDA or TEAOH etc. as base sources. In this system, TPA cations (come from TPABr or TPAOH) served as tern-plating agents to direct the MFI structure. NH3H2O, TEAOH or HDA etc. provides the alkalinity necessary for crystallization. X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis, ER spectroscopies, SEM, 29 Si MAS NMR showed that the zeolites obtained possessed all the structural characteristics of TS-1, and titanium atoms were introduced into the framework in TS-1. This material was proved to have high crystallinity and high catalytic activity to allyl chloride epoxidation and propylene epoxidation. All the samples synthesized had similar catalytic properties with a standard TS-1 through compared inorganic reactant system with organic synthesis system using propylene epoxidation. The effects of silicon source and TPABr/SiO2 ratio were discussed.     

Influence of synthesis and operating parameters on silicalite-1 membrane properties

The present study deals with the synthesis of nanostructured silicalite-1 membranes on porous α-Al₂O₃ supports by a hydrothermal method. Different parameters including the synthesis conditions (temperature and alkalinity) and operating conditions (temperature and pressure) were investigated. The membranes were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The optimum synthesis temperature and alkalinity were determined to be 160 °C and pH = 11, respectively. The permeability of CO₂ and CH₄ through the optimized membrane was determined by the pressure drop method. The results revealed that the main effective separation mechanism was adsorption. The permeation of CO₂ and CH₄ declined with increasing temperature, whereas high feed pressures enhanced the single gas flux. The CO₂ and CH₄ permeability values at 30 °C and 2 bar were 1.62 × 10^?7 and 2.07 × 10^?7 mol m^?2 s^?1 Pa^?1, respectively. Furthermore, the response surface methodology analysis confirmed the significance of all the variables and the proposed model. Excellent correlation between the experimental and predicted data (R² = 0.99) was obtained, confirming that response surface methodology is a powerful tool for modeling nanostructured silicalite-1 membrane processes.     

Formation of rod-shaped calcite crystals by microemulsion-based synthesis

Novel rod-shaped calcite crystals are formed by precipitation from cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/1-pentanol/cyclohexane microemulsions containing calcium chloride and ammonium carbonate. The calcium carbonate initially precipitates as hexagon-shaped vaterite crystals. The vaterite crystals transform to unusual rod-shaped calcite crystals over several days. The rod-shaped calcite crystals are prismatic, with the longest crystal axis displaying (110) crystal faces. A possible mechanism of crystal growth is discussed. The elongated shape of the crystals facilitates the assembly into hierarchical structures and can allow the crystals to be used as templates for fabricating advanced materials.     

Aggregative growth of silicalite-1

Precursor silica nanoparticles can evolve to silicalite-1 crystals under hydrothermal conditions in the presence of tetrapropylammonium (TPA) cations. It has been proposed that in relatively dilute sols of silica, TPA, water, and ethanol, silicalite-1 growth is preceded by precursor nanoparticle evolution and then occurs by oriented aggregation. Here, we present a study of silicalite-1 crystallization in more concentrated mixtures and propose that growth follows a path similar to that taken in the dilute system. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to measure nanoparticle size and to monitor zeolite nucleation and early-stage crystal development. The precursor silica nanoparticles, present in the clear sols prior to crystal formation, were characterized using two SAXS instruments, and the influence of interparticle interactions is discussed. In addition, SAXS was used to detect the onset of secondary particle formation, and HRTEM was used to characterize their structure and morphology. Cryo-TEM allowed for in situ visual observation of the nanoparticle population. Combined results are consistent with growth by aggregation of silica nanoparticles and of the larger secondary crystallites. Finally, a unique intergrowth structure that was formed during the more advanced growth stages is reported, lending additional support for the proposal of aggregative growth.     

First synthesis of silicalite-1 from a dry powder system via solid-solid transformation

Silicalite-1 has first been synthesized from a dry powder system with an adsorbedstate template, and is presented as a convincing example for direct solid-solid transformation process.     

Controlling the performance of silicalite-1 membranes

The structural and performance characteristics (for n- and i-butane separation) of self-supported silicalite-membranes, were optimised by fine-tuning their syntheses by screening a total of nine silica sources and many reaction conditions. The mass balances indicate that membrane thickness is a function of both the synthesis volume and the silica source used. The excellent properties of the final membrane are demonstrated by its high permselectivity of 31 for n-butane combined with a n-butane flux of 10 mmol m(-2)s(-1), indicating perfect performance. For 50/50 mixtures (of n and i) the selectivity for nbutane was 48 and its flux was 3.8 mmol m(-2)s(-1). For the given selectivities, in relation to the membrane thickness, the theoretical fluxes are the highest values ever reported, underlining the point that high structural integrity is essential to achieve superior functionality.     

Adsorption of lipids on silicalite-1

Russian Journal of Physical Chemistry A - The adsorption of egg lecithin and cholesterol from chloroform solutions onto silicalite-1 (hydrophobic silica with MFI zeolite structure) is investigated....     

Altering the inclusion properties of CTV through crystal engineering: CTV, carborane, and DMF supramolecular assemblies

The complexes [Na(CTV)2(OH)(H2O)](H2O)(DMF)2(o-carborane) (3; CTV = cyclotriveratrylene), [K(OH)(CTV)(DMF)]2(o-carborane) (4), [(DMF)(CTV)]2(H2O)4(o-carborane) (5), and (o-carborane)(CTV)(DMF)2 (6) all form as crystalline inclusion complexes from N,N'-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution. Complexes 3 and 4 are the first reported examples of CTV acting as a chelating ligand, with two CTV molecules coordinating cis to the six-coordinate M+ centers (M=Na, K). The extended structures of complexes 3-5 are similar, forming extended coordinate and/or hydrogen-bonding interactions and all feature intracavity complexation of DMF by CTV, while the complex 6 forms an assembly of (o-carborane) intersection of two sets (CTV) ball-and-socket supermolecules with DMF as a channel-type included guest.     

Sorption of alkanediols by silicalite-1

Isotherms for the sorption of linear alkanediols HO(CH₂) _n OH (n = 2, 4, 6, 8) from aqueous solution by silicalite-1 at 25° are reported.     

Preparation and characterization of silicalite-1 membranes prepared by secondary growth of seeds with different crystal sizes

MFI-type zeolite particles of 0.1–1 μm in diameter were prepared by adjusting tetra-n-propylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) and water contents in synthesis mixtures. Using those particles as seeds, MFI-type zeolite membranes were prepared on the surface of a porous mullite tube by secondary growth. The membranes were formed as polycrystalline zeolite layers on and inside the porous support, and the membranes were composed of the [h 0 h]-oriented crystallites. The membrane consisting of a-oriented crystallites could be also prepared. However, the a-oriented zeolite layers were not active on the permeation properties of butanes. Rather the size and loaded amount of the seed particles influenced on the permeation properties through the membranes. As a result, the n-C₄H₁₀/i-C₄H₁₀ permselectivity could be increased to 220 by adjusting the size and the loaded amount of particles. These results suggest that the number of loaded particles affects on the permeation properties through the membranes.     

桥联有机硅烷组装多级孔TS-1聚集体及其催化性能研究（英文）

TS-1分子筛在H_2O_2参与的有机物分子选择氧化及环氧化反应中具有优异的催化性能,一直广受关注.目前,随着精细化工反应中大分子及液相反应的增多,目前工业上使用的微米级尺寸的沸石晶粒催化材料因其狭窄的孔道和较大的扩散阻力而越来越不能满足工业的实际生产需求与应用.小晶粒纳米沸石由于具有较大的外比表面积和较高的晶内扩散速率,因而在提高催化剂的利用率、增强大分子转化能力、减小深度反应、提高选择性以及降低结焦失活等方面均表现出优越的性能.然而,尺寸低于100 nm的沸石又存在着分离问题.因此,具有高催化活性、又能一步实现分离与回收的纳米沸石聚集体的合成,引起了人们的研究兴趣.目前可以通过使用聚苯乙烯球,球型阴离子交换树脂,硅烷化聚合物,聚合诱导胶体聚集(PICA)等实现纳米沸石聚集体材料的合成.其中采用有机硅烷化试剂来制备多级孔纳米沸石聚集体材料提供了一种新的路线.在沸石晶体表面修饰上有机硅烷化试剂,含Si–C键的有机硅烷化物种可以有效地阻止沸石颗粒的晶体生长,抑制形成大的沸石晶体,从而得到纳米粒子聚集体;同时有机硅烷化物种也对纳米沸石进行了表面改性,提高了其疏水性.特别是在有机相中硅烷化沸石可以形成小的、均匀的、聚集的疏水性的纳米沸石.同时,硅烷化试剂的本质和分子大小是沸石聚集体中多级孔大小的决定性因素.具有可调结构的多级孔沸石晶体可以通过在常规的碱性沸石合成混合物溶液中添加一个两性有机硅表面活性剂而合成.研究发现,固定在沸石纳米晶表面的机硅烷物种Si–C键能部分抑制纳米颗粒进一步聚集成较大的晶体,使用硅烷化晶种的方法可以合成具有高比表面的多级孔ZSM-5等沸石.然而,目前已报道的通过硅烷化晶种方法中得到的多级孔TS-1沸石材料的尺寸仅有100–150 nm,仍不利于分离和回收.近来桥联有机硅烷试剂进入人们的视野——通过干胶法合成多级孔β沸石,然而它们的尺寸也只有300–500 nm,反应分离和回收仍然非常困难.本文采用有机桥联硅烷化合物作为硅烷化试剂,将TS-1纳米沸石晶种或者晶体组装聚集成大的沸石聚集体.TEM和SEM结果表明,桥联有机硅烷在沸石晶体的聚集和后续的晶体生长中起到了非常有效的作用,成功地将100 nm左右的纳米沸石晶种或晶体桥联/组装成宏观大尺寸(5–40μm)的沸石聚集体.这些TS-1聚集体具有较好的机械强度,即使连续超声1 h也不会毁坏其结构,表明所得到的沸石材料可以在制备上解决分离困难并且在催化应用上容易回收.XRD,BET以及UV-Vis分析结果表明,引入在TS-1沸石晶种或者晶体溶液中有机硅烷试剂不会影响沸石的晶体结构、微孔体积以及Ti的配位状态.将H_2O_2作为氧化剂评价TS-1沸石聚集体和传统的纳米TS-1在烯烃环氧化反应中的催化性能,结果表明,硅烷化步骤对小分子己烯氧化的活性和选择性的影响不大,在环己烯大分子的氧化反应里表现出了较高的活性和选择性.     

Synthesis of silicalite-1 from organo-silicic gels

Well crystallized silicalite-1 has been obtained from three sources of amorphous silica, namely, rice hull ashes, commercial Davisil, and a fume silica from Aldrich. The silicas were first dissolved in glycerol according to a recently described reaction. This reaction transforms rapidly and efficiently large surface area silicates into poly-alkoxide gels. It can be schematized as an etherification of an alcohol function of glycerol by the weakly acid surface silanol groups. The facile hydrolysis of the alkoxide permits the preparation of relatively pure and reactive silica, keeping the mesoporous character of the parent starting material. We insist on the mesoporous character of the solids obtained upon hydrolyzing the organo-silicic gel because we believe the gel plays a role of template in the secondary synthesis of mesoporous structures. The hydrolysis is carried out in presence of a structure directing agent, namely tetra-propylammonium hydroxide, TPAOH. After aging, the residue is dried and calcined. The first advantage of using the organo-silicic gel is probably related to the high degree of depolymerization of silica, witness by the C/Si ratio. The second one, more subtle to define, is to provide an intermediate silica with hydrophilic a hydrophobic regions, interfering differently with the surfactant. After calcination at 500 degrees C, well crystallized silicalite-1 is obtained. The texture of the starting silica influences the textural characteristics of the final silicalite-1.     

环戊烷在silicalite-1分子筛上的扩散性能的研究

采用智能重量分析技术（Intelligent-Gravimetric Analysis）研究了环戊烷在silicalite-1分子筛上的扩散性能。同一温度下，吸附质的扩散速率随其吸附量的增加而减小，而温度越高扩散系数越大。本文同时讨论了吸附质分子的分子构型、尺寸、吸附温度和吸附量等因素对吸附质扩散性能的影响。     

Deposition of continuous silicalite-1 films on inorganic fibers

Silicalite-fiber composites were prepared by a new method for the synthesis of molecular sieve films. The method consists of two steps: in the first one, the surface charge of the support is reversed by treatment with a cationic polymer solution and a monolayer of negatively charged colloidal molecular sieve seed crystals is adsorbed on the surface. The second step consists of hydrothermal treatment of the support in a molecular sieve precursor solution resulting in the formation of a continuous film of molecular sieve. The method was applied to carbon, ZrO₂, Al₂O₃, mullite, ceramic and pyrex glass fibers. The crystallization of continuous silicalite-1 films on all types of fibers was confirmed by SEM, XRD, FTIR, DTA analyses and BET surface area measurements.