Surface-to-volume ratio of synthesis reactor vessel governing low temperature crystallization of ZSM-5

Zeolite zsm-5 is one of the major catalysts in the petroleum and finechemical industries. the synthesis of zeolite zsm-5 is usually carried out at a temperature above 100 °c using an immense amount of organic structuredirecting agents (osda). it is interesting to note that fine-tuning the initial gel mixture can be used to enhance the typical slow crystallization rate of zsm-5. herein,we report the effect of the surface-to-volume ratio of the reactor vessel on the crystallization of zsm-5 at low temperature. the surface-to-volume ratio of the reactor vessel influences the heat-transfer during the synthesis,which further governs the crystallization of zsm-5. it was found that the higher the surface-to-volume of the reactor,the more crystalline the resulting product. the products with the highest crystallinity exhibited a nearly spherical morphology composed of smaller zsm-5 crystallites. this phenomenon allows the presence of inter-crystallite mesopores,which is an advantage for the catalytic reaction of bulky molecules. © 2016 published by itb journal publisher.