A stable aluminosilicate zeolite with intersecting three-dimensional extra-large pores

Zeolites are crystalline porous materials with important industrial applications, including uses in catalytic and adsorption-separation processes. Access into and out of their inner confined space, where adsorption and reactions occur, is limited by their pore apertures. Stable multidimensional zeolites with larger pores able to process larger molecules are in demand in the fine chemical industry and for the oil processing on which the world still relies for fuels. Currently known extra-large-pore zeolites display poor stability and/or lack pore multidimensionality, limiting their usefulness. We report ZEO-1, a robust, fully connected aluminosilicate zeolite with mutually intersecting three-dimensional extra-large plus three-dimensional large pores. ZEO-1 is stable up to 1000°C, has an extraordinary specific surface area (1000 square meters per gram), and shows potential as a catalytic cracking catalyst.