Role of Supramolecular Chemistry During Templating Phenomenon in Zeolite Synthesis

Abstract

In the last years, there is an increasing interest in the use of organic molecules with the appropriate functionalities to interact with other organic molecules and/or inorganic cations through non-covalent supramolecular interactions, as very specific organic structure-directing agents (OSDAs) for zeolite synthesis. These assembled molecular subunits allow directing the crystallization of zeolite structures with particular physico-chemical properties, such as novel framework topologies, crystal size, chemical compositions, acid-base properties, or metal incorporation, which otherwise would not be achieved using “classical” amine or ammonium-based OSDA molecules. Along the present chapter, different zeolite synthesis strategies employing assembled molecular subunits will be presented, including the use of crown ether-based supramolecular templates, metal-organic complexes, aromatic molecules able to interact through π–π interactions, or supramolecular assembled amphiphilic molecules, among others. The most relevant results described in the literature using these supramolecular-based templating routes will be discussed, together with the current challenges and perspectives.