Synthesis of highly b-oriented ZSM-5 membrane on a rough surface modified simply with TiO2 by in situ crystallization

A simple, reliable and reproducible approach for the fabrication of highly b-oriented ZSM-5 zeolite membranes on rough surface is presented. The approach consists of depositing a TiO2 intermediate layer on the rough surface of substrate, followed by UV irradiation, and subsequently in situ crystallization on the TiO2 modified rough surface. The TiO2 interlayer combined UV irradiation provides a smooth and high Ti–OH density surface for the growth of b-oriented ZSM-5 crystals. By comparing the morphology of zeolite membranes on Al2O3, SiO2, ZrO2, and TiO2, the impacts of smoothness, dispersion force between the zeolite crystal phase and substrate, and density of surface hydroxy on the formation of a highly b-oriented and continuous ZSM-5 membrane have been investigated. A smooth surface rich in Ti-OH was helpful for the continuous and uniform spread of the synthesis solution on the support, resulting in the oriented nucleation and accelerated growth of zeolite crystals, which formed the highly b-oriented and covered ZSM-5 membrane.

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► A simple approach to grow b-oriented ZSM-5 films on rough surfaces was proposed.
► Continuous b-oriented ZSM-5 films on rough inner surface of SS tube were prepared.
► Effects of TiO2 layer on film coverage and orientation were discussed.