Polyethyleneimine templated synthesis of hierarchical SAPO-34 zeolites with uniform mesopores

Abstract

SAPO-34 zeolites with uniform mesopores have been successfully synthesized using polyethyleneimine (PEI) dendrimer as co-template through conventional hydrothermal synthesis for microporous crystalline SAPO-34. This series of SAPO-34 possesses higher BET specific surface area (as high as 560 m² g⁻¹) and larger mesoporous volume (as large as 0.27 cm³ g⁻¹). The size and volume for the mesopores can be adjusted by the molecular weight and the amount of the PEI added. The hierarchical SAPO-34 would be a potential industrial catalyst for methanol-to-olefin (MTO) and methanol-to-propylene (MTP) conversions.