Preparation of zeolite-based porous materials via photopolymerization and their applications in 3D printing and gas storage

Abstract

With the rapid development of photopolymerization, more and more different types of fillers are used to develop photocomposites, such as zeolites, ceramics, graphene, etc. In this work, the LTA-5A zeolite and Al₂O₃ are used as fillers. The viscosity and depth of cure of these formulations were evaluated to determine their feasibility for 3D printing applications and for transferring the filler powder form into a 3D object form using photosensitive resins as organic binders. After this, calcination treatment (750 °C) was carried out on these composites to prepare zeolitic samples. The textural/structural and porosity features of the calcined samples were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, N₂ and CO₂ adsorption and bear-loading tests. The results showed that longer periods of calcination at high temperatures can be favorable for enhancing the structural strength of zeolitic samples (0.1 g of the calcined sample was able to withstand compression from a 300 g weight). Compared to the CO₂ uptake of LTA-5A commercial beads (3.9 mmol g⁻¹), the adsorption capacity of our samples after calcination was 3.5–4.1 mmol g⁻¹, which offers the potential for application in CO₂ adsorption.