Mesoporous metallosilicate zeolites by desilication: On the generic pore-inducing role of framework trivalent heteroatoms

Desilication in alkaline medium is demonstrated as a general route to synthesize hierarchical metallosilicate zeolite crystals with preserved crystallinity. The lattice trivalent cation (not only Al³⁺ but also Ga³⁺, Fe³⁺, and B³⁺) regulates the alkaline-assisted hydrolysis of silicon towards controlled mesoporosity development. This finding widens the family of modified zeolite compositions that integrate in a single crystalline material micropores and mesopores and enables better accessibility in catalytic applications compared to the purely microporous counterparts.