(660c) Surface-Enhanced Techniques to Reduce Mass Transport Restrictions of Zeolites

Zeolites are microporous crystals with small pore sizes (4 - 7 Å) that often impose mass-transfer limitations for internal diffusion. In this talk, we will describe a novel approach to reduce the internal diffusion limitations of zeolites via the introduction of fin-like protrusions on zeolite surfaces by seeded growth. We will discuss the synthesis of multiple zeolites with nano-sized fins (size a) arranged on the exterior of zeolite crystals, and we will also demonstrate their superior catalytic performance relative to conventional analogues. This new class of surface-enhanced zeolites were synthesized using secondary crystallization to enable the epitaxial growth of fins on the surface of seed crystals. Here, we will discuss examples of several finned zeolites with 1 and 2-dimensional pore networks, which exhibit a higher propensity for catalyst deactivation owing to highly constrained internal diffusion. We demonstrate the broader applicability of this synthesis approach, including proof of concept tests using commercial zeolite samples to produce finned analogues with improved catalytic performance in both gas and liquid phase reactions. In this presentation, we will provide a detailed discussion of these new classes of zeolite catalysts produced from an efficient and versatile synthesis platform that is capable of optimizing zeolite catalysts for diverse applications in the petrochemical industry.