Methods Comparison for the Synthesis of Deca-Dodecasil 3 Rhombohedral (DDR3) Zeolite Crystals

Abstract

In the present work, DDR3 zeolite crystals were synthesized using two different methods. The silica sources used to synthesize DDR3 crystals were tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and Ludox-40. The resultant samples were characterized using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). The XRD results showed that the peaks representing DDR3 structure were not obtained for the sample synthesized in 5 days at room temperature with ultrasonic pre-treatment of 3h using Ludox-40 as silica source. On the other hand, the XRD pattern obtained for the sample synthesized in 25 days at 160 o C using TMOS as a silica source were similar with the XRD peaks reported in the literature. From these results, it can be concluded that the synthesis conditions of 25 days at 160 o C using TMOS as silica source were the favorable conditions in obtaining DDR3 crystal structure.