LAUSR

Abstract This work presents a facile method for synthesizing monolithic ZSM-5 nanoparticle aggregates (ZNA) by directly converting the ordered mesoporous material Al-SBA-15 under low solvent content conditions. The effects of crystallization temperature, time, and the structure-directing agents (SDAs) content on the textural properties and on the crystallinity of the final product were investigated. The crystal growth was physically confined to a nano-scale space surrounded by chemically inert units previously formed through the controllable decomposition of P123 micelles. The resulting nanoparticles exhibit uniform size in the range of 20–40 nm. Moreover, ZNA has a monolithic morphology of several micrometers in size, closely resembling that of raw Al-SBA-15, allowing the avoidance of a high-speed centrifugal separation process. The location of nanoparticles inside ZNA bulk particles can be mainly restricted to replicating the Al-SBA-15 walls by slowing down the inorganic species consumption process, and consequently, forming a visibly ordered mesostructure.