Mesopore-modified zeolites: Preparation, characterization, and applications

An overview of the preparation and characterization of mesoporous zeolites and how the added mesoporosities are related to the synthesis and processing conditions is given. Mesopore-modified zeolites can be prepared via several routes. Different posttreatments of the synthesized zeolites are used: alkaline leaching or hydrothermal and other chemical treatments are the most frequently applied. These treatments provide zeolites with an inhomogeneous distribution of mesopores formed from defect domains. Novel dual templating methods using carbon materials have recently been developed. Variations in mesostructures from carbon templating and hydrothermal synthesis conditions of zeolites provide significant variations in the structural characteristics of the resulting mesoporous zeolites. In many commercial applications, mesopore-modified zeolites are receiving considerable attention. The large variety of potential and existing commercial applications is largely due to the novel framework compositions of the mesopore-modified zeolites.