Nano-Cavities within Nano-Zeolites: The Influencing Factors of the Fabricating Process on Their Catalytic Activities

Titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) is a milestone heterogeneous catalyst with single-atom tetrahedral titanium incorporated into silica framework for green oxidation reactions. Although TS-1 catalysts have been industrialized, the strategy of direct hydrothermal synthesis usually produces catalysts with l...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kairui Fu, Geng Li, Fulin Xu, Tiantong Dai, Wen Su, Hao Wang, Tianduo Li, Yunan Wang, Jingui Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-06-01
Series:Nanomaterials
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/13/13/1923
Description
Summary:Titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) is a milestone heterogeneous catalyst with single-atom tetrahedral titanium incorporated into silica framework for green oxidation reactions. Although TS-1 catalysts have been industrialized, the strategy of direct hydrothermal synthesis usually produces catalysts with low catalytic activities, which has still puzzled academic and industrial scientists. Post-treatment processes were widely chosen and were proven to be an essential process for the stable production of the high-activity zeolites with hollow structures. However, the reasons why post-treatment processes could improve catalytic activity are still not clear enough. Here, high-performance hollow TS-1 zeolites with nano-sized crystals and nano-sized cavities were synthesized via post-treatment of direct-synthesis nano-sized TS-1 zeolites. The influencing factors of the fabricating processes on their catalytic activities were investigated in detail, including the content of alkali metal ions, the state of titanium centers, hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties, and accessibility of micropores. The post-treatment processes could effectively solve these adverse effects to improve catalytic activity and to stabilize production. These findings contribute to the stable preparation of high-performance TS-1 catalysts in both factories and laboratories.
ISSN:2079-4991