| 1. |
- Aguilar-Mamani, Wilson, 1981-
(författare)
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Crystallization of NBA-ZSM-5 from kaolin
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- ZSM-5 is an aluminosilicate zeolite with high Si/Al ratio with suitable properties for catalysis, ion exchange, adsorption and membrane applications. The main goal of this thesis was to study the growth of ZSM-5 zeolite crystals from inexpensive natural sources of silica and alumina, as well as n-butylamine (NBA) as a low-cost structure directing agent.The first objective of this work was to develop pathways to synthesize ZSM-5 crystals from kaolin clay or diatomaceous earth, two inexpensive natural sources of silica and alumina (Paper I). In the case of kaolin, a heat treatment was used in order to form amorphous metakaolinite. Subsequently, dealumination of the raw materials by acid leaching made it possible to reach appropriate Si/Al ratios and to reduce the amount of impurities. Finally, leached metakaolinite or diatomaceous earth was reacted with sodium hydroxide and NBA. After synthesis optimization, both sources of aluminosilicates were found to behave differently during the course of synthesis and to lead to slightly different reaction products. The final products exhibited Si/Al ratios in the range 10-20. The use of leached diatomaceous earth allowed to reach higher yield of ZSM-5 crystals within comparable synthesis times. However, low amounts of mordenite were inevitably formed as a by-product, which was related to the high calcium content of diatomaceous earth. Therefore, the rest of the thesis focused on the kaolin system.In order to study the growth mechanism of ZSM-5 from leached metakaolinite, a proper methodology to gain local compositional data by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) on aluminosilicates was developed (Paper II). Zeolite A was used as a model system that could be ion-exchanged with various elements. In order to evaluate the reliability of the measurements, inductively coupled plasma-sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS) and EDS were compared. The EDS method developed in this work resulted in molar ratios very close to theoretical values and was therefore found more reliable than ICP-SFMS. Therefore, the method developed for zeolite A was applied in the rest of the thesis work to study the formation and growth of ZSM-5 crystals.The second part of this work focused on the kaolin system in order to understand the nucleation and growth processes of the ZSM-5 crystals. This system was heterogeneous, due to the formation of a gel upon heating of the synthesis mixture. First, the internal structure of the gel was investigated (Paper III). Second, a kinetic study was performed and compared with microstructural observations (Paper IV). Finally, the mechanisms leading to Al-zoning and dendritical growth of the zeolite crystals were investigated (Paper V). The characterization of the intermediate phases during the different stages of the hydrothermal synthesis were analyzed by different analytical techniques, such as inductively coupled plasma-sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), extreme high resolution-scanning electron microscopy (XHR-SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nitrogen gas adsorption.These investigations led to several important conclusions: 1) The walls of the gel were shown for the first time to be inhomogeneous and to possess a biphasic internal structure consisting of a mesoporous skeleton of aluminosilicate nanoparticles embedded in a silicate-rich soluble matrix of soft matter. 2) The kinetic study and microstructural evidences indicated that the early crystals were fully embedded inside the gel phase and that crystal growth was retarded, as the formation of the gel occurred simultaneously with the early growth of the crystals. Hence, nucleation and growth appeared to be solution mediated. 3) Finally, the Al zoning of the crystals was related to the biphasic internal structure of the gel, since the silicate-rich matrix was preferentially consumed first. 4) The dendrites present at the surface of the crystals during most of the growth process were shown to be caused by the presence of a web of nanoparticles, most likely originating from the mesoporous skeleton inside the gel.In the future, these findings are expected to lead to optimized synthesis pathways of catalysts with homogeneous properties and to contribute to the development of poor regions in Bolivia.
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| 2. |
- Aguilar-Mamani, Wilson, et al.
(författare)
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Internal structure of a gel leading to NBA-ZSM-5 single crystals
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of porous materials. - : Springer. - 1380-2224 .- 1573-4854. ; 25:6, s. 1551-1559
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Porous gel structures are formed during the synthesis of the zeolite ZSM-5 due to the reaction between a source of aluminosilicate, sodium hydroxide, water and a structure directing agent, such as e.g. tetrapropylammonium (TPA) or n-butylamine (NBA). In the present work, the formation of the gel in a heterogeneous system leading to the crystallization of NBA-ZSM-5 zeolite from leached metakaolin was studied extensively. The solid and liquid phases obtained after separation were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry, dynamic light scattering, extreme high resolution-scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, high resolution-transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and nitrogen gas adsorption. The main gel phase formed after hydrothermal treatment exhibited a sponge-like structure resembling those forming in (Na, TPA)-ZSM-5-based systems. For the first time, the walls of the main gel were shown to be inhomogenous and to possess a biphasic internal structure consisting of a mesoporous skeleton of aluminosilicate nanoparticles embedded in a silicate-rich soluble matrix of soft matter. The data presented in this paper is of primary importance to understand the mechanism by which the gel is consumed and contributes to the growth process of the zeolite crystals.
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| 3. |
- Aguilar-Mamani, Wilson, et al.
(författare)
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Solution-mediated growth of NBA-ZSM-5 crystals retarded by gel entrapment
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Crystal Growth. - : Elsevier. - 0022-0248 .- 1873-5002. ; 487, s. 57-64
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The synthesis of flat tablet-shaped ZSM-5 crystals from a gel using metakaolin as aluminosilicate source and n-butyl amine as structure directing agent was investigated. The evolution inside the solid phase was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and mass spectrometry. A kinetic study indicated that the nucleation of the majority crystals occurred concurrently with the formation of the gel upon heating the starting liquid suspension. Microstructural evidences undeniably showed that the gel precipitated on ZSM-5 crystals and mineral impurities originating from kaolin. As a result, crystal growth was retarded by gel entrapment, as indicated by the configuration and morphology of the embedded crystals. The results presented herein are harmonized with a solution-mediated nucleation and growth mechanism. Our observations differ from the autocatalytic model that suggests that the nuclei rest inside the gel until released when the gel is consumed. Our results show instead that it is crystals that formed in an early stage before entrapment inside the gel that rest inside the gel until exposed at the gel surface. These results illustrate the limitation of the classical method used in the field to determine nucleation profiles when the crystals become trapped inside the gel.
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| 4. |
- Cardenas, Edgar, et al.
(författare)
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Microstructural evolution of condensed aggregates during the crystallization of ZSM-5 from a heterogeneous system
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Crystal Growth. - : Elsevier. - 0022-0248 .- 1873-5002. ; 568–569
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The microstructural evolution of precursors of ZSM-5 zeolite crystallized from a heterogeneous system using fumed silica, sodium aluminate and tetrapropylammonium ions as reagents is investigated. Entities previously described by Ren et al. (Chem. Mater. 2012, 24, 10, 1726–1737) as condensed aggregates, were extensively studied using scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. It was observed that the condensed aggregates first comprise a core of nanocrystals that is enveloped by a shell of amorphous gel phase. During crystallization, the amorphous shell surrounding the core is converted into ZSM-5 crystals that grow to a film surrounding the core. The crystals in the film grow competitively with nutrients provided by the liquid phase from the surroundings, while the nanocrystals in the core show little or no signs of growth.
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