External Surface Catalytic Sites of Surfactant-Tailored Nanomorphic Zeolites for Benzene Isopropylation to Cumene

Abstract

Nanomorphic *BEA, MTW, and *MRE zeolites were investigated as catalysts for isopropylation of benzene. From the deactivation pattern of the zeolites, we evaluated the contribution of external and internal active sites. These nanomorphic zeolites exhibited a high activity and long catalytic lifetime. Such catalytic properties can be explained by a large contribution of external sites, which have the advantage of slow deactivation.