Synthesis of Nanocrystalline Mordenite Zeolite with Improved Performance in Benzene Alkylation and n-Paraffins Hydroconversion

Nanocrystalline mordenite (MOR) zeolites were hydrothermally synthesized in a single step with commercial cetyltrimethylammonium (CTA) hydroxide as the sole organic template, while the aluminum source was varied in a typical synthesis gel. CTA can effectively reduce the crystal growth of MOR zeolites, in some cases selectively in the a- and b-directions of the unit cell. These nanocrystalline MOR zeolites do not only have a larger external surface area than their bulk counterparts prepared without CTA, but the Brønsted acid sites in the side-pockets are also more accessible. The combination of the use of CTA and AlCl₃ ⋅ 6H₂O afforded the best-performing catalyst with much improved activity in benzene alkylation and hydroconversion of n-hexadecane (n-C₁₆). Modifying MOR synthesis with CTA hydroxide is a cheap and effective method to open up the one-dimensional micropore system of mordenite, increasing the catalytic performance in hydrocarbon reactions.