(588d) Synthesis of Silicalite-1 Nanocrystals in Three Dimensionally Ordered Mesoporous Carbon | AIChE

(588d) Synthesis of Silicalite-1 Nanocrystals in Three Dimensionally Ordered Mesoporous Carbon

Authors 

Fan, W. - Presenter, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Lee, P. - Presenter, University of Minnesota
Kumar, S. - Presenter, University of Minnesota
Zhang, X. - Presenter, University of Minnesota
Penn, R. L. - Presenter, University of Minnesota
McCormick, A. V. - Presenter, University of Minnesota
Yoo, W. C. - Presenter, University of Minnesota


The sustained interest in the synthesis of zeolite nanocrystals is justified because they can serve as seeds for thin zeolite film growth and for preparation of polymer-zeolite nanocomposite membranes. In this study, silicalite-1 nanocrystals were synthesized inside three-dimensionally-ordered mesoporous (3DOm) carbon with a uniform pore size that can be tuned from 20 nm to 50 nm 1,2. The 3DOm carbon was prepared using ordered arrays of silica nanoparticles (Lys-Sil) as a template. Electron Microscopy, X-ray diffraction and N2 adsorption and desorption reveal that the silicalite-1 nanocrystals can reliably replicate the 3DOm porosity, resulting in the highly monodisperse silicalite-1 nanocrystals with a tunable size from 20 nm to 50 nm. Their application in the fabrication of zeolite thin film will be discussed along with implications in understanding zeolite nucleation and growth.

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2. Fan, W.; Synder, M. A.; Sandeep, K.; Lee, S. P.; Yoo, C. W.; McCormick, A. V.; Penn, L. R.; Stein, A.; Tsapatsis, M. Nat. Mater. 2008, 7, 984.