Hydroxyl Radical-assisted Synthesis of NaA Zeolite Membranes in an Open System

Abstract

NaA zeolite membranes are widely utilized in the separation field. However, their large-scale application has been constrained by the requirement of bulky, sealed autoclaves, resulting in high synthesis costs. Herein, we developed a hydroxyl radical-assisted hydrothermal strategy to synthesize NaA membranes. This method enables the synthesis of highly crystalline and continuous NaA membranes within only 8 h at 45 °C in an open system. Notably, we scaled up the synthesis to achieve uniform crystallization on a 10 cm×6 cm substrate, overcoming the scalability limitations inherent to traditional autoclave-based synthesis. The versatility of this approach is further demonstrated by its applicability to diverse substrates, including metal oxides, glass, and polymers. Through a combination of ex-situ characterization techniques [X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM)] and spectroscopic analysis [electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), fluorescence], we confirm the critical role of hydroxyl radicals in accelerating membrane formation. Furthermore, the broad applicability of this method is validated by the successful synthesis of high-quality FAU zeolite membranes. This work establishes a new paradigm for zeolite membrane synthesis, paving the way for their industrial-scale production and broader practical applications.

Keywords

NaA zeolite membrane / Hydroxyl radical / Open system / Large-scale production

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