Effects of layer change and chemical composition on thermal stability and catalytic activity of pillared montmorillonite

By using methods of XRD, MAS-NMR, low temperature N ₂ adsorption and chemical analysis, the layer composition and structural characteristics of Heishan and Lin-an montmorillonites (designated as H and L, respectively ) have been investigated. A comparison is conducted between two types of pillared montmorillonite ( PM ) prepared from H and L. Experimental results show that the thermal stability and catalytic property of PM are strongly dependent on the cation exchange capacity and substitution of Al for Si in the tetrahedral sheets of montmorillonite. Pd-Al-PM-L, a pillared montmorillonite containing Pd, is used as a hydrocracking catalyst, which exhibits good thermal stability and catalytic activity.