Alcohol-Assisted Synthesis of Sheet-Like ZSM-5 Zeolites with Controllable Aspect Ratios

Sheet-like ZSM-5 has been regarded as a promising material for catalytic applications due to its diffusion superiority. However, it still remains a challenge to obtain a desirable sheet-like morphology because of the complex synthesis process of zeolites. Here, a facile strategy for synthesizing sheet-like ZSM-5 is developed by only adding ethanol as zeolite growth modifier in the synthesis gel. It is thought that ethanol might be preferentially absorbed on the {010} surface of zeolite crystals, interact with the exposed silicon hydroxyl groups on the crystal {010} facet, and suppress the growth of b axis, resulting in the sheet-like shape. Through finely tunning synthesis parameters, sheet-like ZSM-5 crystals with thin b-axis thickness of 90 nm and different aspect ratios could be obtained. Owing to its shorter diffusion path and optimized acidity, sheet-like ZSM-5 exhibits better catalytic performance than conventional ZSM-5 in the alkylation of benzene with ethanol.