Direct synthesis of IDM-1 aluminosilicate nanosheets with improved MTP performance

Aluminosilicate nanosheets with pure IDM-1 structure, abbreviated as Al-I1, were rapidly synthesized by adjusting the F sources. Through preliminary aging, the length along the b-axis of Al-I1 was precisely tuned in the range of 40-200 nm and meanwhile the competitive growth to the MFI phase was suppressed. With improved mass transport owing to expanded pores and shortened diffusion path along the b-axis, the Al-I1 nanosheets exhibited superior catalytic performance to conventional b-axis oriented ZSM-5 in the methanol-to-propylene (MTP) reaction. The optimal Al-I1-40 catalyst with the thinnest thickness of 40 nm showed a long catalytic lifetime of 67 h and a high propylene selectivity of up to 57.1%.