Facile synthesis of mesoporous zeolite Y using seed gel and amphiphilic organosilane

Abstract

© 2019 Elsevier Inc.Zeolite Y is widely used as an industrial catalyst for catalytic cracking of heavy feedstocks to lighter olefins. However, incorporation of uniform mesoporosity in zeolite Y without compromising the microporous characteristics is required to improve the catalyst efficiency and minimize catalyst deactivation. Here, we report a facile synthesis method for mesoporous zeolite Y (MPYsg) using seed gel and amphiphilic organosilane, that results in mesoporous zeolite showing a narrow mesopore size distribution (3–4 nm) with high external surface area (110 m2g-1) and high micropore surface area (654 m2g-1). During the crystallization of MPYsg, the organosilane acted as a mesopore-generating agent, and the seed gel provided secondary nuclei that created a uniform mesoporous structure in the zeolite Y nanocrystals. Analysis of aluminosilicate precursors collected during the crystallization revealed that the crystallization process starts with a long nucleation period, followed by rapid crystal growth. Due to the highly accessible strong acid sites present on its external surface, MPYsg shows catalytic activity in the decalin cracking reaction higher than that of conventional microporous zeolite Y