Aging time effect on the synthesis of small crystal LTA zeolites in the absence of organic template

Abstract Crystals of LTA zeolites were obtained in absence of organic templates using a crystallization temperature of 373 K. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The aging time was found to be a crucial factor for the control of the crystal size. Samples aged between 72 and 144 h presented an average crystal size of ca. 200 to 500 nm.