title: Continuously Adjustable, Molecular-Sieving "Gate" on 5A Zeolite for Distinguishing Small Organic Molecules by Size.
abstract: Zeolites/molecular sieves with uniform, molecular-sized pores are important for many adsorption-based separation processes. Pore size gaps, however, exist in the current zeolite family. This leads to a great challenge of separating molecules with size differences at ~0.01 nm level. Here, we report a novel concept, pore misalignment, to form a continuously adjustable, molecular-sieving "gate" at the 5A zeolite pore entrance without sacrificing the internal capacity. Misalignment of the micropores of the alumina coating with the 5A zeolite pores was related with and facilely adjusted by the coating thickness. For the first time, organic molecules with sub-0.01 nm size differences were effectively distinguished via appropriate misalignment. This novel concept may have great potential to fill the pore size gaps of the zeolite family and realize size-selective adsorption separation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.|SmartState Center of Catalysis for Renewable Fuels, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.
authors.forename: Zhuonan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.|SmartState Center of Catalysis for Renewable Fuels, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.|SmartState Center of Catalysis for Renewable Fuels, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.
authors.forename: Weiwei L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.|SmartState Center of Catalysis for Renewable Fuels, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Applied Science and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: Gas Technology Institute, 1700S. Mount Prospect Road, Des Plaines, IL 60018.
authors.forename: Shiguang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.|SmartState Center of Catalysis for Renewable Fuels, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.
authors.forename: Miao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yu