Synthesis of hierarchical ferrierite using piperidine and tetramethylammonium hydroxide as cooperative structure-directing agents

Abstract

Zeolite ferrierite aggregates with hierarchical porosity were synthesized using TMAOH and piperidine as cooperative structure-directing agents (co-SDAs). The effect of the relative amount of TMAOH and piperidine on the crystalline phase and textural properties of the products was investigated. Ferrierite aggregates synthesized herein were ca. 10–15 μm in size, comprised of nanosheets with thickness of less than 50 nm. The ferrierite aggregates possessed similar acidity and crystallinity with respect to the bulk ferrierite prepared using only piperidine as SDA, but exhibited more than 3 times higher mesopore surface area. The ferrierite aggregates with hierarchical porosity were found to be more efficient in catalytic LDPE cracking due to improved accessibility of large polymer molecules to the active sites.