Synthesis of mesoporous zeolite catalysts by in situ formation of carbon template over nickel nanoparticles

• Mesoporous MFI zeolite was prepared with in situ generated carbon-template.
• Cheap and available silica and carbon sources: silica gel and methane.
• Mesoporous zeolite catalyst is highly active for isomerization and cracking of octane.
• Mesoporous zeolites with incorporated nickel nanoparticles.

A novel synthesis procedure for the preparation of the hierarchical zeolite materials with MFI structure based on the carbon templating method with in situ generated carbon template is presented in this study. Through chemical vapour deposition of coke on nickel nanoparticles supported on silica oxide, a carbon-silica composite is obtained and exploited as a combined carbon template/silica source for zeolite synthesis. This approach has several advantages in comparison with conventional carbon templating methods, where relatively complicated preparative strategies involving multistep impregnation procedures and rather expensive chemicals are used. Removal of the carbon template by combustion results in zeolite single crystals with intracrystalline pore volumes between 0.28 and 0.48 cm3/g. The prepared zeolites are characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and physisorption analysis. The isomerization and cracking of n-octane is chosen as a model test reaction and the mesoporous zeolite catalyst is found to exhibit higher activity than the conventional catalyst.

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