Design of an Organic Template for Synthesizing ITR Zeolites under Ge-Free Conditions

• DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c04652
• Publication Date: 2023-07-25T13:26:26Z
• Authors: Ye Ma; Junyi Hu; Kai Fan; Wei Chen; Shichao Han; Qinming Wu; Yanhang Ma; Anmin Zheng; Eduard Kunkes; Trees De Baerdema...; Andrei-Nicolae Pa...; Nils Bottke; Toshiyuki Yokoi; Dirk E. De Vos; Xiangju Meng; Feng-Shou Xiao

Germanosilicate zeolites with various structures have been extensively synthesized, but the syntheses of corresponding zeolite structures in the absence of germanium species remain a challenge. One such example is an ITR zeolite structure, which is a twin of the ITH zeolite structure. Through the modification of a classic organic template for synthesizing ITH zeolites and thus designing a new organic template with high compatibility to ITR zeolite assisted by theoretical simulation, we, for the first time, show the Ge-free synthesis of an ITR structure including pure silica, aluminosilicate, and borosilicate ITR zeolites. These materials have high crystallinity, corresponding to an ITR content of more than 95%. In the methanol-to-propylene (MTP) reaction, the obtained aluminosilicate ITR zeolite exhibits excellent propylene selectivity and a long lifetime compared with conventional aluminosilicate ZSM-5 zeolite. The strategy for the design of organic templates might offer a new opportunity for rational syntheses of novel zeolites and, thus, the development of highly efficient zeolite catalysts in the future.