Applied chemistry

摘要

Solid state chemists have followed Nature's geological examples by transforming common silicate, aluminate and phosphate building blocks into zeolite materials with elaborate microp-orous frameworks. These microporous materials are used as molecular sieves and catalysts, and they are vital to countless applications in industries as diverse as petrochemicals, personal-care products and environmental decontamination. In spite of extensive substitution of the framework cations to fine-tune the properties of such materials, zeolite-type structures with framework anions other than oxide are rare. The refractory nature of the metal oxides gives remarkable stability to the microporous frameworks, albeit at the expense of reactivity and tractability. For this reason, there is considerable interest in the synthesis of microporous solids whose micropores incorporate reactive species that enhance reactivity, and in the synthesis of microporous solids from organic and inorganic/organic building blocks to obtain greater control of framework design.