Recent advances in the synthesis of TS-1 zeolite.

Heteroatomic zeolites as an important class of zeolites, have been widely applied in industrially catalytic processes due to their unique properties. As one of the most representative heteroatomic zeolites, titanosilicate zeolites have been extensively used in the selective oxidations of organic substrates with H2O2 such as cyclohexanone ammoximation, epoxidation of alkenes, and phenol hydroxylation. In this review, recent advances in the synthesis of TS-1 zeolite are briefly summarized, including use of low-cost raw materials (organic templates, silicon, and titanium sources), development of new synthesis routes (post-treatment synthesis, dry-gel conversion synthesis, solvent-free synthesis, and microwave-assisted synthesis), and new strategy for enhanced mass transfer in TS-1 crystals (synthesis of hierarchical and nanosized TS-1 zeolite). This review might help researchers to have a deep understanding on the synthesis of TS-1 zeolite and provide a new opportunity for the design and preparation of highly efficient TS-1 catalysts in the future.

Targeted synthesis of zeolites from calculated interaction between zeolite structure and organic template.

Zeolites, a class of silica-based porous materials, have been widely employed in the chemical industry for uses such as sorption, separation, catalysis and ion exchange. Normally, the synthesis of zeolites is performed in the presence of organic templates via a trial-and-error route, which is labor-intensive and empirical. In recent years, theoretical simulation from the interaction between a zeolite structure and an organic template has been used to guide the synthesis of zeolites, which is time-saving. In this review, recent progress in the targeted synthesis of zeolites from interaction between a zeolite structure and an organic template are briefly outlined including the design of new templates for zeolite synthesis, preparation of zeolites with new composition, development of novel routes for zeolite synthesis, synthesis of intergrowth zeolites, generation of novel zeolite structures, control of zeolite morphology and modulation of aluminum distribution in zeolites. These targeted syntheses reveal that the minimum energy principle from the theoretical simulation is key for guiding zeolite crystallization. This review will be important for zeolite researchers for rationally synthesizing zeolites and effectively designing new zeolite structures.