Novel honeycomb structure: a microporous ZSM-5 and macroporous mullite composite

Abstract

We have developed a novel honeycomb composite structure consisting of microporous ZSM-5 and macroporous mullite by in-situ crystallization of ZSM-5 utilizing glass from a sintered kaolin honeycomb. This in-situ crystallization of ZSM-5 leads to better adhesion and mechanical strength for the zeolite film and results in a graded structure with three layers consisting of strongly adhered ZSM-5 film at the surface, a composite ZSM-5 and mullite layer below the pure ZSM-5 layer and porous mullite at the core. These novel composite structures are expected to have major applications in the areas of automotive and other catalysts, pervaporation membranes, cation exchange separations, etc.