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| Email: | see.enquiry@cityu.edu.hk |
| Address: | G5703, 5/F, Yeung Kin Man Academic Building (YEUNG), City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR |
Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Canterbury,
Christchurch, New Zealand
Zeolites are widely used in industry for catalysis, ion-exchange, gas/liquid separations and adsorption. Ionothermal synthesis method, in which ionic liquids (ILs) act as both solvent and template/structure-directing agent (SDA), has received great attention due to its almost zero vapor pressure at typical zeolite synthesis temperatures (ca. 170-180 °C). This allows non-pressurized equipment to be used in process scale-up, which is highly attractive from safety and economic point of view. However, the existing reports in literature show that a wide range of random zeolite types tend to form when ionic liquids were used for zeolite synthesis.
We systematically studied the effect of various ILs, such as 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([EMIM]Br), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([EMIM]Cl), 1-buthyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([BMIM]Br), 1-buthyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl), 1-buthyl-3-methylimidazolium methanesulfonate ([BMIM]CH3SO3), on the resulted zeolite products using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), fumed silica and colloidal silica as the Si sources. The results also showed that the morphology of the product zeolite can be tailored using appropriate ILs as a soft template and that anisotropic behavior can be obtained in zeolite catalysis. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to give insights into the ILs-zeolite interactions, from which a general guideline of using ILs for precise zeolite control will be elucidated.
Dr. Alex Yip received his BE(Hon) in Chemical Engineering from the University of New South Wales in 2003. He obtained his MPhil in Environmental Engineering and PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2005 and 2009, respectively, studying energy and environmental catalysis. Dr. Yip was a postdoctoral fellow in Professor Enrique Iglesia’s group at the University of California, Berkeley, working on methanol-to-triptane process via solid acids and zeolite chemistry. He is now a Senior Lecturer “Above the Bar” (Equivalent to Associate Professor in the US University system) and the Principal Investigator of the Energy and Environmental Catalysis Group at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Dr. Yip is also an Adjunct Professor at the Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology in China and is currently the Vice President of the Australasian Particle Technology Society (APTS). He is also an Editorial Board Member of Advanced Powder Technology and Carbon Resources Conversion, and a Review Editor of Nanoenergy Technologies and Materials [Frontiers].
Dr. Yip has extensive experience on synthesis and applications of microporous/mesoporous catalytic materials. His current research focusing on developing novel catalytic systems for biomass conversion to biofuel and high value products under mild reaction conditions. He has expertise in identifying the relationship between the catalyst structures, including morphology, pore shape, spatial constraints etc., and the selectivity of products produced from reactions relevant to energy and environmental applications. Results of his recent projects were published in high-calibre journals, e.g. Journal of the American Chemical Society (IF: 14.357), Journal of Materials Chemistry A (IF: 9.931), Chemistry of Materials (IF: 9.890), Green Chemistry (IF: 8.586), Nano Research (IF: 7.994) and Chemical Engineering Journal (IF: 6.735) etc.
Enquiry: see.enquiry@cityu.edu.hk (email) or 3442 2410 (tel.).
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