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Synthesis strategies and design principles for nanosized and hierarchical zeolites

Nature Synthesis volume 1, pages 521–534 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

The preparation of zeolites has long been viewed as an empirical practice in which the impact of numerous synthesis parameters on complex pathways of crystallization remains unresolved. Efforts to achieve predictive control in zeolite crystal engineering are often motivated by the benefits of producing materials with nanosized dimensions for improved mass transport properties. In the past decade there has been substantial progress in the synthesis of zeolites and zeotypes with nanosized and hierarchical structures that have been shown to outperform conventional analogues in various applications. The ability to synthesize state-of-the-art nanoporous materials has socioeconomic advantages in processes that are critical to addressing twenty-first-century problems. Here we summarize synthetic methods used to prepare different classes of zeolitic materials and we highlight the diversity of nucleation and growth mechanisms, approaches to control these pathways through experimental design, and the advantages of infusing computational and big data analyses to transition zeolite synthesis away from trial-and-error methodologies.

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Fig. 1: Classes of zeolites with nanoscale dimensions and diverse pathways of crystallization.
Fig. 2: Zeolite nucleation and growth by colloidal assembly and particle attachment.
Fig. 3: Meta-analysis of synthesis conditions leading to zeolite nanoparticles.
Fig. 4: Hierarchical zeolites with pillared and layered architectures.
Fig. 5: Classes of nanosized zeolites prepared by seeding methods.
Fig. 6: OSDAs used in syntheses of nanosized and hierarchical zeolites.
Fig. 7: Guiding zeolite synthesis with data analytics and machine learning.
Fig. 8: Evaluating nanosized zeolites for mass transport properties and potential defects.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Science Division, grant no. DE-SC0021384. Additional support was provided by The Welch Foundation (E-1794).

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  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Adam J. Mallette, Seungwan Seo & Jeffrey D. Rimer

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Mallette, A.J., Seo, S. & Rimer, J.D. Synthesis strategies and design principles for nanosized and hierarchical zeolites. Nat. Synth 1, 521–534 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-022-00091-8

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