An study of cyclohexylpyrrolidine-derived quaternary organic cations as structure directing agents for synthesis of zeolites

A suite of organic tetraalkylammonium cations obtained from the cyclohexylpyrrolidine has been essayed as structure directing agents (SDAs) of zeolites in a large range of synthesis conditions. This family of SDAs has been able to drive the synthesis toward a different zeolite structures having 10 MR and/or 12MR pore apertures, such as ZSM-11 (MEL), ZSM-12 (MTW), Beta, EU-1 (EUO) and a new zeolite, named ITQ-23, depending on the structure directing agent, framework composition and synthesis conditions. The formation of the observed structures has been rationalized in terms of energetic stabilisation between the occluded organic and the inorganic microporous framework.