Synthesis of Y zeolite via acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of tetraethylorthosilicate

Abstract The siliceous precursor was hydrolyzed from tetraethylsilicic acid (TEOS) under acidic conditions, then sodium aluminate and sodium hydroxide were added, and Y zeolite was obtained by hydrothermal crystallization under alkaline conditions. The key synthesis parameters, such as reactant molar ratios, crystallization temperature and time were changed to optimize the synthesis conditions. The obtained products were characterized by XRD, SEM, N2 adsorption and ICP elemental analysis. The well-crystallized Y zeolite was successfully synthesized by hydrolysis of TEOS catalyzed by sulfuric acid at low crystallization temperature 85℃ which has a SiO2/Al2O3 ratio（SAR）of 5.55.