Zeolite nanotube discovery

Date:
January 20, 2022
Source:
Georgia Institute of Technology
Summary:
Researchers discover crystalline zeolites in a nanotubular (1D)
shape.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Zeolites, which are crystalline porous materials, are very widely used
in the production of chemicals, fuels, materials, and other products. So
far, zeolites have been made as 3D or 2D materials. This has changed
with the recent discovery of crystalline zeolites in a nanotubular (1D)
shape, by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Stockholm University, and Penn State University. The findings were published in
the Jan. 6 issue of Science.


==========================================================================
"A discovery like this is one of the most exciting parts of our research,"
said Sankar Nair, principal investigator and professor in the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech. "We're increasingly
used to doing research that has a pre-determined application at the end
of it, so this is a reminder that fundamental discoveries in materials
science are also exciting and important." Zeolites have pores roughly the
size of many types of molecules, and scientists and engineers have used
the varied sizes, shapes, and connections of the pores to discriminate
between molecules of different sizes, allowing for the production of
chemicals suitable for plastic production, or for the separation of
undesired molecules from desired ones, as examples.

The team was designing syntheses to assemble 2D zeolite materials. In
an unexpected turn of events, some of the results indicated that a new
type of assembly process was occurring. Indeed, one such case led to a
novel 1D zeolite material that had a tube-like structure with perforated
porous walls. This 1D material, termed a zeolitic nanotube, was unlike
any zeolite ever synthesized or discovered in nature previously.

"Zeolite nanotubes could be used to make entirely new types of nanoscale components that can control transport of mass or heat or charge, not
only down the length of the tube the pipe, but also in and out through
the perforated walls," said Nair.

Resolving the detailed arrangement of the atoms in the zeolite nanotube
was a challenging task, for which the Georgia Tech researchers teamed up
with zeolite crystallography experts at Stockholm University and Penn
State. They found that the nanotube walls had a unique arrangement of
atoms that are not known in 3D or 2D zeolites. This same arrangement
is also responsible for forcing the zeolite to form as a 1D tube rather
than a 2D or 3D material.

"This is the first example of a new class of nanotubes, and its unique
and well-defined structure provides exciting ideas and opportunities
to design zeolite nanomaterials," said Tom Willhammar, co-investigator
and researcher at Stockholm University. "Through further work, we hope
that different zeolitic nanotubes could be obtained with variations in
pore size, shape and chemistry." Put plainly -- a nanometer-scale tube
made from a 1D material with regular, perforated holes on the sides is
now available for exploration. In addition to this being a fundamental scientific discovery that could change the way we think about designing
porous materials, the researchers see potential for many practical applications.

"The unique structural attributes of these materials will allow for an
array of potential applications in membrane separations, catalysis,
sensing, and in energy devices where mass or energy transport are
crucial," said Christopher W.

Jones, co-principal investigator and professor at Georgia Tech. "The
materials may have unique mechanical properties, as well, finding
applications in composite materials, as carbon nanotubes have done. At
this stage, the sky is the limit, and we hope researchers will look
for creative ways to deploy these materials for the benefit of humanity." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Georgia_Institute_of_Technology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Akshay Korde, Byunghyun Min, Elina Kapaca, Omar Knio, Iman Nezam,
Ziyuan
Wang, Johannes Leisen, Xinyang Yin, Xueyi Zhang, David S. Sholl,
Xiaodong Zou, Tom Willhammar, Christopher W. Jones, Sankar
Nair. Single-walled zeolitic nanotubes. Science, 2022; 375 (6576):
62 DOI: 10.1126/ science.abg3793 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220120140708.htm

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