Synthesis and characterization of belt-like silicalite-1 nanocrystals with mesoporous structure

Abstract A novel belt-like silicalite-1 nanocrystal with narrow mesoporosity had been synthesized by hydrothermal method. In the synthesis process, nanosized Ca(OH) 2 was used as a hard template due to the fact that it was rich in pores and could be insoluble in water. A subsequent acid washing with dilute HCl removed the nanosized Ca(OH) 2 further uncovering mesopores. A study was carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron micrograph (TEM) analysis for the physical properties of the obtained silicalite-1. Belt-like silicalite-1 exhibited a unique geometrical shape distinct from conventional MFI shape. Moreover, the samples had uniform mesopores of 22.8 A by the result of the N 2 adsorption isotherm.