Zeolites: Versatile Science within the Cage

photo Zeolites: Versatile Science within the Cage exhibit

Zeolites are micro-porous aluminosilicates that have extensive use as heterogeneous catalysts. The multitude of ways of linking the elementary tetrahedral building units provides a wide range of different frameworks and pore channels. These porous networks enable shape-selective catalysis, which can be modified based on the framework structure produced. In addition, Si:Al ratios and the introduction of substituted adatoms into the framework facilitates a diverse tool kit for tuning Brønsted or Lewis acidity and therefore, the catalytic properties. The demonstration, which was part of the Royal Society summer “Holey rocks” exhibition, shows how these cage and pore networks can be assembled into various zeolitic structures through large 3-dimentional structural models.

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