Rapid synthesis of fault-free GME zeolite

Abstract

The optimization of the synthesis of known zeolite structures and the discovery of new applications for them are continuously hot topics in the field of zeolite chemistry. One of the typical examples is the GME zeolite structure. Herein, we for the first time report a rapid synthesis of fault-free GME zeolite by the combined strategy of seeding and aging. The fault-free GME zeolite can be obtained at 160 °C in only 2.5 h. Various characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) have been used, which show that the obtained product has good crystallinity, perfect hexagonal morphology, fully 4-coordinated Al species and fault-free features. In addition, after the post-treatment of the as-made GME zeolite, Na–GME zeolite with a large BET surface area and high porosity could be successfully obtained. More importantly, the obtained Na–GME zeolite is used for the first time for CO₂ capture, giving a high CO₂ adsorption of 5.37 mmol g⁻¹ and excellently selective CO₂ adsorption from CO₂/N₂ (15/85, v/v) with a separation coefficient of 58.8. The fault-free GME zeolite used for CO₂ capture might be of potential significance for industrial applications.