A versatile mono-quaternary ammonium salt as a mesoporogen for the synthesis of hierarchical zeolites

Abstract

Here we report a versatile method to synthesize hierarchically porous zeolites with FER, CHA and MFI topologies by using inexpensive mono-quaternary ammonium N-cetyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium (C₁₆NMP) as a mesoporogen. Extensive characterization revealed that the mesoporous zeolites are crystalline, possess a high mesopore volume and exhibit comparable Brønsted acidity to their bulk counterparts. Due to the improved accessibility of the microporous domains, these hierarchical zeolites display enhanced performance as catalysts in various reactions such as the dehydration–isomerization of 1-butanol to iso-butene (FER) and methanol-to-hydrocarbons reaction (CHA and MFI).