Fabricating Fe Nanoparticles Embedded in Zeolite Y Microcrystals as Active Catalysts for Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis

Keen interest is taken in zeolite-encapsulated metal nanoparticles (NPs) owing to their excellent performance and ultrastability in heterogeneous catalysis. Herein, we propose a simple and efficient method to contain Fe NPs within zeolite Y microcrystals. First, a low-pressure technique was developed to successfully synthesize the zeolite Y microcrystals. The technique was then invoked, using Fe NPs fixed in nanosized C spheres as a precursor, to prepare zeolite Y-embedded Fe composite catalysts. The C spheres served as a template that restricted Fe NP growth within zeolite Y. Above all, the successful confinement of small Fe NPs within the microcrystals of zeolite Y enhanced the catalyst activity with 36.2% selectivity for light olefins (C2–C4=) at a CO conversion of 91.2% during evaluation in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. The techniques presented in this work open up a new avenue worth exploiting for the synthesis of nano/microcrystalline materials and highly active metal–zeolite composites in heterogeneous catalysis.