Nanoscale Kirkendall growth of silicalite-1 zeolite mesocrystals with controlled mesoporosity and size

Abstract

The Kirkendall effect was utilized to synthesize mesoporous silicalite-1 zeolite nanocrystals without the involvement of additional templates. The mesopore size as well as the particle size can be easily controlled by nanoscale Kirkendall growth via significantly reducing the amount of water or tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, which were used in large quantities in conventional methods. The Kirkendall growth method is thus suitable for large-scale synthesis of mesoporous MFI zeolites with very high yields but low cost for practical applications.