Direct synthesis of IDM-1 aluminosilicate nanosheets with improved MTP performance

Abstract

Aluminosilicate nanosheets with pure IDM-1 structure, abbreviated as Al-I1, were rapidly synthesized by adjusting the F sources. Through preliminary aging, the length along the b-axis of Al-I1 was precisely tuned in the range of 40–200 nm and meanwhile the competitive growth to the MFI phase was suppressed. With improved mass transport owing to expanded pores and shortened diffusion path along the b-axis, the Al-I1 nanosheets exhibited superior catalytic performance to conventional b-axis oriented ZSM-5 in the methanol-to-propylene (MTP) reaction. The optimal Al-I1-40 catalyst with the thinnest thickness of 40 nm showed a long catalytic lifetime of 67 h and a high propylene selectivity of up to 57.1%.