Preparation of thin silicalite-1 layers on carbon materials by electrochemical methods

A seeding method that is brought forth by the electrical properties of carbon materials permits the synthesis of zeolite/carbon composites through a simple experimental procedure. Carbon discs are fully covered with silicalite-1 crystal seeds via an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method. The resulting seeded supports are submitted to hydrothermal treatment in order to seal off any remaining intercrystalline gaps between the seeds, finally yielding pure silicalite-1/carbon composites. This new methodology is critically compared with other "classical" seeding techniques to prepare thin layers for membrane purposes. Being extremely simple and straightforward, this method is highly convenient in order to achieve reproducible results and avoids carbon oxidation prior to zeolite growth. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.