Hierarchically Macroporous Zeolite ZSM-5 Microspheres for Efficient Catalysis

Hollow zeolite microspheres have recently attracted much attention for their applications in catalysis, microreactors and biomedicine. Herein, we present hierarchically structured zeolite ZSM-5 microspheres with unique, abundant macropores that allow more efficient use for catalysis. The hierarchically macroporous zeolite ZSM-5 microspheres are synthesized under the assistance of water/oil emulsions and using polystyrene nanospheres as templates. The zeolite microsphere is assembled by uniform hollow zeolite nanospheres. Their large inner cavities and thin zeolite shells lead to smaller diffusion channel and higher improved accessibility to active sites, contributing to high catalytic performance in the catalytic conversion of benzyl alcohol in mesitylene. Such novel zeolite microspheres with impressive performance will be applied to numerous other industrial catalytic reactions.