ZSM-5 zeolite single crystals with b-axis-aligned mesoporous channels as an efficient catalyst for conversion of bulky organic molecules.

The relatively small and sole micropores in zeolite catalysts strongly influence the mass transfer and catalytic conversion of bulky molecules. We report here aluminosilicate zeolite ZSM-5 single crystals with b-axis-aligned mesopores, synthesized using a designed cationicamphiphilic copolymer as a mesoscale template. This sample exhibits excellent hydrothermal stability. The orientation of the mesopores was confirmed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. More importantly, the b-axis-aligned mesoporous ZSM-5 shows much higher catalytic activities for bulky substrate conversion than conventional ZSM-5 and ZSM-5 with randomly oriented mesopores. The combination of good hydrothermal stability with high activities is important for design of novel zeolite catalysts. The b-axis-aligned mesoporous ZSM-5 reported here shows great potential for industrial applications.