Ultra-selective high-flux membranes from directly synthesized zeolite nanosheets.

A zeolite with structure type MFI is an aluminosilicate or silicate material that has a three-dimensionally connected pore network, which enables molecular recognition in the size range 0.5-0.6 nm.

Open-Pore Two-Dimensional MFI Zeolite Nanosheets for the Fabrication of Hydrocarbon-Isomer-Selective Membranes on Porous Polymer Supports.

Two-dimensional zeolite nanosheets that do not contain any organic structure-directing agents were prepared from a multilamellar MFI (ML-MFI) zeolite. ML-MFI was first exfoliated by melt compounding and then detemplated by treatment with a mixture of H2 SO4 and H2 O2 (piranha solution). The obtained OSDA-free MFI nanosheets disperse well in water and can be used for coating applications.

Oriented MFI Membranes by Gel-Less Secondary Growth of Sub-100 nm MFI-Nanosheet Seed Layers.

A zeolite membrane fabrication process combining 2D-zeolite nanosheet seeding and gel-free secondary growth is described. This process produces selective molecular sieve films that are as thin as 100 nm and exhibit record high permeances for xylene- and butane-isomers.