MFI zeolite as a support for automotive catalysts with reduced Pt sintering

The noble metals used as catalysts in automotive exhaust systems are subject to sintering at extreme temperatures, leading to deterioration of catalytic activity. Zeolite with the MFI (ZSM5) structure is examined as a support for Pt particulate catalysts. The MFI structure is composed of agglomerates of single-crystal zeolite with interstitial mesoporosity. Pt fixed within these mesopores is shown through high-temperature aging tests in air to be highly resistant to sintering due to the mechanical constraints on particle size imparted by the mesoporous structure. The deterioration of catalytic activity after aging is significantly lower than that for comparable γ-alumina supported catalyst.