Molecular packing-induced selectivity effects in liquid adsorption in zeolites

Abstract

Adsorption from the liquid phase on nanoporous solids such as zeolites is associated with a high filling degree of the materials' nanopores. Given the limited space in those pores, the organization and packing of the molecules in the pores becomes an important or even dominant factor. Therefore, specific selectivity effects occur in such conditions, often completely different from the selectivity patterns observed in gas phase conditions. In this chapter, selected examples are given for packing-induced selectivity effects in hydrocarbon adsorption in zeolites. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.