Bead-Milling and Postmilling Recrystallization: An Organic Template-free Methodology for the Production of Nano-zeolites

Organic template-free synthesis of nano-zeolite has been an important subject of both scientific and industrial applications. Most research has focused on the fabrication of nano-zeolite by a bottom up approach, that is, control of zeolite nucleation and crystal growth during the hydrothermal synthesis. This communication reports a new method for the production of nano-zeolite powder by a top-down approach. In this study, the zeolite was first milled to produce a nanopowder. This technique can cause destruction of the outer portion of the zeolite framework and hence cause pore blocking, which deactivates various properties of the zeolite. To remedy this, the damaged part was recrystallized using a dilute aluminosilicate solution after bead milling. As a result of the combination of bead milling and postmilling recrystallization, nano-zeolite A (LTA type zeolite) about 50 nm in size with high crystallinity was successfully obtained.