Monitoring and Controlling the Formation of Zeolites - Versatile Nanoporous Materials

Description

Zeolites are crucial for numerous key industries, such as refinery and upgrading of fossil or renewable resources, detergents, refrigeration, and separation but also in newly emerging fields like water purification and desalination, (nuclear) waste management and as solar thermal collectors and storage systems. Although natural zeolites accounted for over 60% of the zeolite volume in 2014, the forecast emphasises synthetic zeolites as the fastest growing market segment in the near future. Zeolites are highly structured inorganic solids produced on industrial scale via the hydrothermal gel method. For investigating the mechanism of zeolite formation using diagnostic tools, gels are rather inconvenient. To overcome this problem zeolite synthesis from solution has been developed. The crystallisation of Silicalite-1 zeolite from clear solution is a well-known model system for investigating the growth mechanism. It allows the monitoring using scattering techniques, as well as acoustic and electrochemical methods. At the moment, we are studying a novel pathway in solution-based zeolite synthesis in the frame of the collaborative project ZeoDirect. The starting solution is a homogeneous minimal water system termed hydrated silicate ionic liquid (HSIL). A variety of different nanoporous aluminosilicate frameworks are formed, controlled by the concentration and type of ions and external conditions such as electromagnetic and acoustic fields. Full control over the synthesis process requires inline monitoring and feedback. Optical, acoustic and electrochemical methods are integrated in an experimental synthesis reactor. The expected outcome is a deeper understanding of complex crystallization processes in order to rationally design new nanostructured materials.

Period	23 Jul 2019
Event title	Seminar at Center for Sustainable Technologies
Event type	Other
Location	IndiaShow on map