Preparation of uniform and nano‐sized NaA zeolite using silatrane and alumatrane precursors

Nano‐sized Na A zeolite was successfully synthesized via the sol–gel process and microwave techniques. The synthesis parameters, such as hydroxide ion concentration, seed amount, as well as heating time and temperature, were studied to obtain the most uniform and very small sized NaA zeolite using the composition of SiO₂:Al₂O₃:xNa₂O:410H₂O; 3 ≤ x ≤ 6. It was found that hydroxide ion concentration affects the crystal size and heating time, whereas a higher amount of seed provides smaller sized NaA zeolite. The zeolite product can be synthesized using a higher temperature for a shorter time or lower temperature for a longer time. The best conditions for synthesizing the smallest size, 0.1–0.2 µm, and the most homogeneous NaA zeolite is to use the composition of SiO₂:Al₂O₃:3Na₂O:410H₂O and 3 wt% crystal seed at 80 °C microwave heating for 6 h. The synthesized NaA zeolite was characterized using XRD and SEM. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.