Molecules

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Synthesis and Applications of Zeolites and Related Porous Materials as Adsorbents and Catalysts

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 1655

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alexandru Popa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institute of Chemistry Timisoara of Romanian Academy, M. Viteazul Ave, No. 24, 300223 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: mesoporous materials; heteropolyacids; gas adsorption; CO₂ capture; catalysts; heterogeneous catalysis

Dr. Orsina Verdeş

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant

Institute of Chemistry Timisoara of Romanian Academy, M. Viteazul Ave, No. 24, 300223 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: catalysts; ethanol conversion; heterogeneous catalysis; mesoporous materials; gas adsorption

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the discovery of porous materials, they became of particular interest to the scientific community of chemists and materials science due to their excellent physicochemical properties that are suitable for various applications. Many porous adsorbents such as molecular sieves, zeolites, carbon materials among others should have high adsorption capacity and easy regeneration for reuse in successive adsorption-desorption cycles. Adsorbent materials that capture gaseous pollutants such as CO₂ represent a current research interest for environmental protection. Catalytic conversion of CO₂ into chemicals plays an important role in many heterogeneous catalytic reactions used to remove pollutant gases from the environment.

The aim of this special issue is to provide an opportunity to publish articles and reviews on the synthesis and applications of zeolites and porous materials as adsorbents, catalysts and catalyst supports, focusing on issues that will help to solve environmental problems. We welcome original research articles and reviews on themes including, but not limited to:

New materials and strategies for capture and catalytic conversion of CO₂;
Developing new methods for the design and functionalization of porous materials;
Description of new concepts in the preparation and characterization of zeolites and other functional porous materials;
Description of adsorption and catalytic reaction mechanisms for different environmentally friendly reactions.

Dr. Alexandru Popa
Guest Editor

Dr. Orsina Verdeş
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

mesoporous materials
zeolites
CO₂ capture and utilization
environmental applications
physical and chemical characterizations of materials
catalytic reactions
heterogeneous catalysis

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

23 pages, 9561 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analyzing (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane-Functionalized Porous Silica for Aqueous Uranium Removal: A Study on the Adsorption Behavior

by Kegang Wei and Chin-Pao Huang

Molecules 2024, 29(4), 803; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29040803 - 09 Feb 2024

Viewed by 581

Abstract

This study synthesized (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane-functionalized porous silica (AP@MPS) to adsorb aqueous uranium (U(VI)). To comprehensively analyze the surface properties of the AP@MPS materials, a combination of SEM, BET, XPS, NMR, and zeta potential tests were conducted. The adsorption experiments for U(VI) revealed the rapid and efficient adsorption capacity of AP@MPS, with the solution condition of a constant solution pH = 6.5, an initial U(VI) concentration of 600 mg × L⁻¹, a maximum U(VI) capacity of AP@MPS reaching 381.44 mg-U per gram of adsorbent, and a removal rate = 63.6%. Among the four types of AP@MPS with different average pore sizes tested, the one with an average pore size of 2.7 nm exhibited the highest U(VI) capacity, particularly at a pH of 6.5. The adsorption data exhibited a strong fit with the Langmuir model, and the calculated adsorption energy aligned closely with the findings from the Potential of Mean Force (PMF) analysis. The outcomes obtained using the Surface Complex Formation Model (SCFM) highlight the dominance of the coulombic force ΔG⁰_coul as the principal component of the adsorption energy (ΔG⁰_ads). This work garnered insights into the adsorption mechanism by meticulously examining the ΔG⁰_ads across a pH ranging from 4 to 8. In essence, this study’s findings furnish crucial insights for the future design of analogous adsorbents, thereby advancing the realm of uranium(VI) removal methodologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Applications of Zeolites and Related Porous Materials as Adsorbents and Catalysts)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 4306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Surface Basicity and Hydrophilic Character of Coal Ash-Derived Zeolite NaP1 Modified by Fatty Acids

by Ana-Paola Beltrão-Nunes, Marçal Pires, René Roy and Abdelkrim Azzouz

Molecules 2024, 29(4), 768; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29040768 - 07 Feb 2024

Viewed by 720

Abstract

Zeolite NaP1 was found to display the highest affinity for CO₂ in preliminary modifications of coal fly ash-derived zeolites (4A, Y, NaP1 and X) by four amines (1,3-diaminopropane, N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine, Tris(2-aminoethyl)amine and ethylenediamine). In the second step, different fatty acid loaded NaP1 samples were prepared using palmitic, oleic and lauric acids. CO₂ and H₂O thermal programmed desorption (TPD) revealed changes in intrinsic basicity and hydrophilic character, expressed in terms of CO₂ and H₂O retention capacity (CRC and WRC, respectively). Infrared spectroscopy (IR), N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms and scanning electron microscopy allowed for correlating these changes with the type of interactions between the incorporated species and the zeolite surface. The highest CRC values and the lowest CO₂ desorption temperatures were registered for NaP1 with the optimum content in palmitic acid (PA) and were explained in terms of the shading effect of surface acidity by the rise of basic Na⁺-palmitate salt upon cation exchange. The amine/fatty acid combination was found to paradoxically mitigate this beneficial effect of PA incorporation. These results are of great interest because they demonstrate that fatty acid incorporation is an interesting strategy for reversible CO₂ capture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Applications of Zeolites and Related Porous Materials as Adsorbents and Catalysts)

► Show Figures