Effect of Crystal Size on Physico-Chemical Properties of ZSM-5

In an attempt to produce a ZSM-5 type material with ample mesoporosity as well as micro porosity and improved external surface area, the nanocrystalline ZSM-5 (NZ) was synthesized. The material NZ was characterized by a variety of physical techniques and its properties were compared with that of micrometer range ZSM-5 (HZ). Improvement in pore volume along with mesoporosity is observed in NZ. Though there is an improvement in micropore volume, the mesopores with diameter > 100 Å have mainly contributed to the improved pore volume in NZ. The organic template used in NZ synthesis decomposed at two different temperatures in DTA/TGA studies suggesting the additional role of template in mesopore formation in NZ. The NZ exhibited relatively lower acidity, but has greater amount of strong acidity when compared to HZ.