Synthesis and Characterization of NaP Zeolite Nanocrystals Using [c12mim][cl] Ionic Liquid

Imidazolium-based ionic liquids as an alternative surfactant can be utilized in the synthesis of zeolite nanocrystals due to micelle formation capacity. In this study, NaP zeolite nanocrystals have been synthesized via hydrothermal technique using 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C12mim][Cl]) ionic liquid as template. The effects of applying calcination process, ethanol extraction, presence of [C12mim][Cl] ionic liquid and heating time in hydrothermal synthesis on prepared samples and particle size has been investigated. The synthesized samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, particle size analysis and surface area, and porosity analysis. Based on the results, NaP zeolite nanocrystals with the size < 30 nm and surface area of 443.6 m2/g were synthesized using [C12mim][Cl] ionic liquid that can significantly improve the capacity of zeolite materials in various applications. Besides, increasing the hydrothermal heating time during synthesis caused smaller zeolite crystals and narrower particle size distribution. In addition, ethanol extraction can be used to remove the ionic liquid from the prepared sample without crystallinity reduction.