Tunable Catalysts Comprised of Building Units from Various Zeolites

Here, we describe the synthesis and superior performance of a new family of materials (Hybrid Zeolites, HyZ) made out of building units from various zeolites. As a result of using a long chain quaternary amine, which acts both as a structure directing agent (SDA) and porogen (surfactant), we obtained highly mesoporous solids with building units from both FAU and MFI zeolites.
To achieve this goal, we took advantage of the evolving nature of the interzeolite transformation approach, interrupting this conversion at those times that yield the desired amounts of building units of the zeolites involved. Using this simple procedure, the properties of these hierarchical materials can be easily adjusted, which allows to control the amount of the different zeolitic building units in the final material and consequently optimize its catalytic performance. We realized this for the cracking of 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene. Hybrid zeolites yielded a five-hold increase to the desired product at constant conversion over the commercial USY, CBV780, and a 7-fold increase in the conversion of this bulky molecule at constant selectivity over the MFI zeolite.