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

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2025) | Viewed by 6137

Special Issue Editors


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

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Keywords

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

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1499 KiB  
Article
Effects of Additional Mesopores and the Surface Modification of the Y-Type Zeolite on the Alkane Oxidation Activity of Iron Complex-Encapsulated Catalysts
by Takamasa Takeda, Masaya Okamura, Syuhei Yamaguchi, Hidenori Yahiro and Shiro Hikichi
Molecules 2025, 30(4), 966; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30040966 - 19 Feb 2025
Viewed by 392
Abstract
Catalytic alkane hydroxylation activities of the iron complex encapsulated into the micropore of the Y-type zeolite and mesoporous zeolites, the latter of which were obtained by the partial removal of aluminum and alkaline treatment, have been explored by using H2O2 [...] Read more.
Catalytic alkane hydroxylation activities of the iron complex encapsulated into the micropore of the Y-type zeolite and mesoporous zeolites, the latter of which were obtained by the partial removal of aluminum and alkaline treatment, have been explored by using H2O2 as the oxidant. The iron complex with tris(pyridylmethyl)amine (=TPA) encapsulated into the micropore of the genuine Y-type zeolite was a more stable and effective cyclohexane hydroxylating heterogeneous catalyst compared to the corresponding copper analogue as well as the non-encapsulated homogeneous Fe-TPA complex. The chemical modification of the zeolite supports with the organic groups led to changing the catalytic activity depending on the size and the hydrophobic or hydrophilic nature of the added organic groups. When the content of water in the solvent was increased, the activity of the hydrophilic longer chain-modified catalyst was improved compared to that applied on the reaction with the non-aqueous solvent. The hydrophobic fluoroalkyl modifier located near the entrance of the micropore hindered the access of the substrate and aqueous H2O2 to the encapsulated iron complex site in the genuine Y-type zeolite. On the other hand, the hydrophobic modification effectively improved the activity of the catalyst with the zeolite support having higher amounts of mesopores. The synergistic effect of the wider bore diameters and the hydrophobic nature derived from the fluoroalkyl chains led to the concentration of the hydrocarbon substrate near the active iron complex. Full article
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15 pages, 3443 KiB  
Article
Effect of Temperature on CO2 Adsorption onto Amine-Functionalized KIT-6 Adsorbents
by Mariana Suba, Orsina Verdeș, Silvana Borcănescu and Alexandru Popa
Molecules 2024, 29(13), 3172; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29133172 - 3 Jul 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1943
Abstract
The mesoporous silica KIT-6 was synthesized and functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) by grafting at 110 °C. The composites were prepared with three different concentrations of APTES: 20, 30 and 40 wt.%. The as-prepared samples were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis in air and [...] Read more.
The mesoporous silica KIT-6 was synthesized and functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) by grafting at 110 °C. The composites were prepared with three different concentrations of APTES: 20, 30 and 40 wt.%. The as-prepared samples were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis in air and nitrogen atmosphere (TG/DTA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption–desorption. In this study, CO2 adsorption–desorption was investigated using temperature programmed desorption mass spectrometry (TPD-MS) at different temperatures. The adsorption capacity of the prepared composites is 2.23 mmol CO2/g at 40 °C and decreases to 0.95 mmol/g at 70 °C. Regarding the efficiency of the amino groups, the best result was obtained for APTES-grafted KIT-6 at 40 °C, with 0.512 mmol CO2/mmol NH2. The results showed good cyclical stability in adsorption capacities even after nine adsorption–desorption cycles. Full article
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23 pages, 9561 KiB  
Article
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 - 9 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1356
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 [...] Read more.
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 ΔG0coul as the principal component of the adsorption energy (ΔG0ads). This work garnered insights into the adsorption mechanism by meticulously examining the ΔG0ads 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
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17 pages, 4306 KiB  
Article
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 - 7 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1727
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 [...] Read more.
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
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