Enhancing activity without loss of selectivity – Liquid-phase alkylation of benzene with ethylene over MCM-49 zeolites by TEAOH post-synthesis

•MCM-49 is post-synthesized by TEAOH with high crystallinity preserved.•Post-synthesis by TEAOH improves the surface areas, volumes, and acid sites of MCM-49.•The morphology of post-synthesized MCM-49 is tailored into small irregular sheets.•The ethylene conversion is enhanced without loss of ethylbenzene selectivity.

As-synthesized and calcined MCM-49 zeolites were post-synthesized by tetraethylammonium hydroxide to tailor their morphology, texture properties, acid sites and catalytic performances. With post-synthesis by tetraethylammonium hydroxide, both as-synthesized and calcined MCM-49 zeolites have showed remarkable morphology change from rose-like shape into disorderly packed irregular MWW sheets, and improved surface areas, pore volumes and acid sites without obvious loss of crystallinity. The samples before and after tetraethylammonium hydroxide treatment were used as catalysts in liquid-phase alkylation of benzene with ethylene. Importantly, a prominent increase in ethylene conversion was observed without loss of ethylbenzene selectivity over post-synthesized MCM-49 catalysts in liquid-phase alkylation of benzene with ethylene.

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