MICROWAVE SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ZIRCONIUM-CONTAINING MESOPOROUS MOLECULAR SIEVES

Zirconium-containing mesoporous molecular sieves(Zr-MCM-41) were synthesized from sodium silicate and zirconium sulfate,using cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide as a template under microwave irradiation conditions.The calcined samples were characterized by the X-ray diffraction,transmission electron microscope,inductive coupled plasma technique,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,and N_2 physical adsorption technique.The experimental results show that the reaction time and energy required in the synthesis of Zr-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves by the microwave irradiation method are greatly reduced in contrast with those needed by the the conventional hydrothermal method.The obtained products possess a typical mesoporous structure of MCM-41 and have specific surface areas in the range of 598.1 m~2/g to 971.4 m~2/g and average pore sizes in the range of circa 2.46 nm to 3.43 nm.On the other hand,the specific surface area and pore volume of the synthesized Zr-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieve decrease with the increase of the amount of Zr incorporated,and the mesoporous ordering deteriorates.