Electrospun zeolite-templated carbon composite fibres for hydrogen storage applications

Research on Chemical Intermediates - The current study explored the application of the electrospinning technique to produce multi-hierarchical composites for hydrogen storage applications....     

Synthesis of a hybrid MIL-101(Cr)/ZTC composite for hydrogen storage applications

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) hybrid composites have recently attracted considerable attention in hydrogen storage applications. In this study a hybrid composite of zeolite templated carbon (ZTC) and Cr-based MOF (MIL-101) was synthesised by adding the templated carbon in situ during the synthesis of MIL-101(Cr). The obtained sample was fully characterized and hydrogen adsorption measurements performed at 77 K up to 1 bar. The results showed that the surface areas and the hydrogen uptake capacities of individual MIL-101 (2552 m² g^?1, 1.91 wt%) and zeolite templated carbon (2577 m² g^?1, 2.39 wt%) could be enhanced when a hybrid MIL-101(Cr)/ZTC composite (2957 m² g^?1, 2.55 wt%) was synthesized. The procedure presents a simple way for enhancement of hydrogen uptake capacity of the individual Cr-MOF and templated carbon samples.     

In situ ultrasonic diagnostic of zeolite X crystallization with novel (hierarchical) morphology from coal fly ash

In this paper the applicability of an in situ ultrasonic diagnostic technique in understanding the formation process of zeolite X with a novel morphology was demonstrated. The complexity of the starting fly ash feedstock demands independent studies of the formation process for each type of zeolite since it is not known whether the crystallization mechanism will always follow the expected reaction pathway. The hierarchical zeolite X was noted to follow a solution phase-mediated crystallization mechanism which differs from earlier studies of the zeolite A formation process from unaged, clear solution extracted from fused fly ash. The use of the in situ ultrasonic monitoring system provided sufficient data points which enabled closer estimation of the time of transition from the nucleation to the crystal growth step. In order to evaluate the effect of temperature on the resulting in situ attenuation signal, synthesis at three higher temperatures (80, 90 and 94 °C) was investigated. It was shown, by the shift of the US-attenuation signal, that faster crystallization occurred when higher temperatures were applied. The novel hierarchical zeolite X was comprised of intergrown disc-like platelets. It was further observed that there was preferential growth of the disc-shaped platelets of zeolite X crystals in one dimension as the synthesis temperature was increased, allowing tailoring of the hierarchical morphology.     

Synthesis of zeolites from coal fly ash: application of a statistical experimental design

With the intention of decreasing the experimental test runs during the optimization of synthesis of zeolites from fly ash, a 2⁴ full-factorial experimental design was applied in this study. The preparation parameters that had showed significant influence on the synthesis of pure phase zeolite Na-P1 using one-step-at-a-time experimental approach were included, but extended also to those parameters of importance identified in the literature. At the same time, it was important that the levels of variation of parameters not be restricted to the conditions where a pure phase of zeolite Na-P1 was formed. The four synthesis variables investigated were; NaOH concentration (NaOH:SiO₂ molar ratio ranged between 0.35 and 0.71), ageing temperature (35?C55°C), hydrothermal treatment time (36?C60?h) and temperature (130?C150°C). The results obtained were assessed by the improvement in the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the obtained zeolite, which showed that the phase purity is strictly controlled by the synthesis conditions. In the end, this approach provided sufficient understanding of the relationship between product properties and the four synthesis parameters, which took into account the individual effects as well as linear and nonlinear interacting phenomena. From the analysis, it was found that the main effects were ageing temperature and hydrothermal treatment time and temperature, which showed some interactions among each other.