Preparation of translucent silicalite-1 bulk ceramics by spark plasma sintering

Abstract

Fabrication of binderless or binder-free zeolite ceramics is an ideal strategy to achieve outstanding performance. In this study, bulky, translucent ceramics composed of silicalite-1, a pure silica zeolite with MFI topology, is prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) without adding binder. The effects of SPS treatment conditions, such as silica source, temperature, pressure, holding time, ramping rate, and sample dose, are systematically investigated. A comparison of silica sources indicated that zeolite nanoparticles (NPs) have better sinterability than a silica source with large particle sizes of several micronmeters. SPS treatment using silicalite-1 NPs under optimised conditions allows the sintering of zeolite compacts while retaining their crystal structure.