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Ultrasmall Zeolite L Crystals Prepared from Highly Interdispersed Alkali‐Silicate Precursors
Author(s) -
Li Rui,
Linares Noemi,
Sutjianto James G.,
Chawla Aseem,
GarciaMartinez Javier,
Rimer Jeffrey D.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201805877
Subject(s) - zeolite , nucleation , alkali metal , silicate , crystallization , microporous material , materials science , chemical engineering , aluminosilicate , phase (matter) , metastability , dispersion (optics) , crystal (programming language) , potassium silicate , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , organic chemistry , catalysis , composite material , physics , optics , computer science , engineering , programming language
The preparation of nanosized zeolites is critical for applications where mass‐transport limitations within microporous networks hinder their performance. Often the ability to generate ultrasmall zeolite crystals is dependent upon the use of expensive organics with limited commercial relevance. Herein, we report the generation of zeolite L crystals with uniform sizes less than 30 nm using a facile, organic‐free method. Time‐resolved analysis of precursor assembly and evolution during nonclassical crystallization highlights key differences among silicon sources. Our findings reveal that a homogenous dispersion of potassium ions throughout silicate precursors leads to the formation of a metastable nonporous phase, which undergoes an intercrystalline transformation to zeolite L. The generation of highly interdispersed alkali‐silicate precursors is seemingly critical to enhancing the rate of nucleation and facilitating the formation of ultrasmall crystal.