Synthesis of (Alumino) Silicate Materials Using Organic Molecules and Self-Assembled Organic Aggregates as Structure-Directing Agents

ABSTRACTMicroporous zeolites can be synthesized using organic structure-directing molecules whose function is to organize inorganic species into particular topologies that then spontaneously self-assemble into the final crystalline materials. Extension of the zeolite assembly process to the use of organic molecular aggregates as structure-directing agents yields ordered mesoporous materials like MCM–41 and MCM–48. A unifying picture of the assembly processes ocurring in the syntheses of micro- and mesoporous materials is presented.