CON-type boroaluminosilicate zeolites
with varying Si/Al ratios
([A, B]-CON-x-C; x: Si/Al ratio; x = 200–600) were synthesized via a direct crystallization method from a synthetic gel containing
cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). We confirmed that the [Al,
B]-CON-x-C zeolites obtained from the CTAB-containing
gel exhibited smaller particles and almost twice the external surface
area compared to those of the [Al, B]-CON-x zeolites
crystalized from gels that did not contain CTAB, suggesting a considerable
influence of CTAB on the crystallization process. In the methanol-to-olefin
(MTO) reaction, [Al, B]-CON-x-C zeolites showed a
longer catalyst lifetime compared to the corresponding [Al, B]-CON-x zeolites, together with a characteristic high propylene
selectivity (∼50%). Systematic investigations using 27Al, 29Si, and 11B magic-angle spinning (MAS)
NMR as well as 27Al 3QMQMAS NMR spectroscopy, together
with Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy with CO as the
probe molecule, confirmed the negligible impact of CTAB on the local
structure of [Al, B]-CON zeolites. On the other hand, a lower amount
of Al and related Brønsted-acid sites on the external surface
of [Al, B]-CON-x-C zeolites relative to the corresponding
[Al, B]-CON-x zeolites was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy
using quinoline (Qu) as the probe molecule. A systematic investigation
of the catalytic MTO reaction, together with the structural, physicochemical,
and spectroscopic analyses unveiled a dual role for CTAB during the
crystallization process, i.e., control over the particle
size and over the location of Al sites within the particles, which
contributes to prolonging the MTO catalytic lifetime without changing
the acidic properties and undermining the propylene selectivity.