Electrokinetic controlled zeolite synthesis: a new frontier for inorganic electrochemistry

Zeolites are porous crystalline oxides built from networks of aluminum and silicon nodes. They have highly regular pores with similar dimensions as most of the molecules that sustain modern society. This allows them to act as molecular sieves, adsorbents and catalysts in many processes and daily life applications. Zeolites are active due to the negative charge on their framework where aluminum (III) substitutes for silicon (IV). The synthesis of a zeolite is essentially an assembly of silica and alumina around positively charged template molecules, catalyzed by negatively charged hydroxides. Due to the complex nature of the hydrothermal synthesis process, the impact of the Coulomb interactions between all these ionic species on the growing zeolite and its final properties are not understood at all and current synthesis routes fail to unlock the full potential of zeolites. This projects wants to revolutionize zeolite synthesis, not by the usual search for other templates, but by developing inorganic electrochemistry-capable reactors, in which electrokinetic control over zeolite synthesis can be induced. The main idea is to actively manipulate the various Coulomb interactions during synthesis with immersed electrodes to exploit the effects of electric fields (AC, DC) during the crystallization of zeolites. The key new electrokinetic concepts rely on electrophoresis, in situ watersplitting and gradual electrochemical release of T-atoms. Preliminary proof-of-concept is present.