Synthesis and VOCs adsorption performance of surfactant-templated USY zeolites with controllable mesopores

Adsorption is one of the most effective methods to control the concentration of VOCs pollution. In this work, the hierarchical USY zeolites with size-controlled mesopores are obtained via NH 4 HF 2 -etching and surfactant-templating process. It is found that the non-framework aluminum inside USY is effectively removed by NH 4 HF 2 -etching, and the irregular mesopores inside NH 4 HF 2 -etched USY are transformed into small-sized mesopores with a size of ∼4 nm after subsequent surfactant-templating treatment. The formation mechanism of the small mesopores with controllable pore size is elucidated, and the adsorption properties of NH 4 HF 2 -etched USY-s for different VOCs molecules are demonstrated.