New progress in zeolite synthesis and catalysis

The rational design synthesis of zeolite catalysts with effective, environmentally benign and atom-economic routes is a major topic in the field of microporous materials, as it would avoid the high labor cost and inefficiency of traditional trial-and-error methods in developing new structures and dispel environmental concerns regarding the industrial mass production of zeolites. Catalytic applications of zeolite materials have expanded from conventional single functionalities, such as solid acids or selective oxidation catalysts to bi/multifunctionalities through combination with metals or metal oxides. This is a response to new requirements from petrochemical and fine chemical industries, such as precise control of product distribution, conversion of low-carbon resources for chemical production, and solutions to increasingly severe environmental problems related to CO₂ and NO_x. Thus, based on the systematic knowledge of zeolite chemistry and science that researchers have acquired in the past half-century and the development requirements, remarkable progress has been made in zeolite synthesis and catalysis in the past 10 years. This includes the manipulation of zeolitic monolayers derived from layered zeolites and germanosilicates to construct novel zeolite materials and effective and green zeolite syntheses as well as the synergistic interaction of zeolites and metal/metal oxides with different space distributions in the conversion of low-carbon resources. With many zeolite catalysts and catalytic processes being developed, our understanding of the close relationship between zeolite synthesis, structure and catalytic properties has deepened. Researchers are gradually approaching the goal of rationally designing zeolite catalysts with precisely controlled activity and selectivity for particular applications.