Template-free synthesis and structural evolution of discrete hydroxycancrinite zeolite nanorods from high-concentration hydrogels.
We report the synthesis and characterization of hydroxycancrinite zeolite nanorods by a simple hydrothermal treatment of aluminosilicate hydrogels at high concentrations of precursors without the use of structure-directing agents. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis reveals that cancrinite nanorods, with lengths of 200-800 nm and diameters of 30-50 nm, exhibit a hexagonal morphology and are elongated along the crystallographic c direction. The powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and TEM studies revealed sequential events of hydrogel formation, the formation of aggregated sodalite nuclei, the conversion of sodalite to cancrinite and finally the gro…
Exploratory Synthesis of Low-Silica Nanozeolites through Geopolymer Chemistry
Nanozeolites are of great interest with the premise of their efficiency in traditional applications such as catalysis and separation, as well as their emerging applications including chemical sensors, medicine, and food industry. We report a new geopolymerization route for the synthesis of nanozeolites with different crystal structures by exploring the Na–Al–Si–H2O quaternary phase space under a mild hydrothermal condition. Nanostructured faujasite (FAU), cancrinite (CAN), and sodalite (SOD) zeolites with a crystallite size smaller than 40 nm were successfully produced from our exploration, as well as a submicron-sized Linde-Type A (LTA) zeolite. The transmission electron microscopy and nit…