Crystallization of as-mesocellular
silica foam (as-MCF) into TS-1
zeolites by conventional hydrothermal and dense-gel routes is reported.
The TS-1 synthesized through the dense-gel route (TS-1-d) showed higher meso-macroporosity (0.311 vs 0.233
cm3/g), smaller particle size (130 vs 305
nm), and enhanced external surface area (86 vs 31
m2/g) than that synthesized under conventional hydrothermal
conditions (TS-1-h). These might suggest that an
organic template from as-MCF acted as mesoporogen in the dense-gel
synthesis; however, segregation of the organic template and the synthesis
mixture occurred in the conventional hydrothermal synthesis. The obtained
TS-1 from the crystallization of as-MCF showed an enhanced framework
Ti. The turnover frequencies (h–1) of TS-1-d toward hydroxylation of phenol and oxidation of dibenzothiophene
(DBT) were 2 and 5 times, respectively, higher than those by TS-1-h. The DBT conversion by TS-1-d reached
>99.0%, while it was only 63% by TS-1-h, suggesting
the potential of TS-1-d for deep desulfurization
of the fuels. Consequently, the crystallization of as-mesoporous materials
through the dense-gel route is a promising approach to prepare TS-1
zeolites with smaller particle sizes and enhanced mesoporosity.