A study of physico-chemical and catalytic properties of Cu-MFI prepared by different methods

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of preparation procedure on the physico-chemical properties of cooper bearing MFI zeolite (Cu-MFI) as well as on their catalytic activity in the NO decomposition. Two different methods for incorporation of metal ions in the zeolite framework were used: the ion exchange and the direct hydrothermal synthesis. The physico-chemical properties of the zeolite samples were studied by different techniques, such as: AAS, SEM, XRD, EPR and nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that cooper bearing MFI zeolite prepared by direct hydrothermal synthesis are promising catalysts for NO decomposition, especially at lower reaction temperature. It was found that the direct hydrothermal synthesis of Cu-MFI could lead to the development of active and stable catalyst that could find practical application. Particular emphasis was put on the exact nature of the active cooper species generated in MFI framework as a function of preparation method.