Polycrystalline ZSM-5@Beta core–shell composites fabricated by a seed-directed approach: A catalyst to boosting light olefin production by ordered hierarchical cracking

Featuring engineerable reaction pathway, ordered hierarchical cracking over core–shell structured zeolites ([email protected]) plays a pivotal role in achieving the high-efficient conversion of low-value oil fractions into important petrochemical building blocks such as ethylene and propylene. However, the synthesis of [email protected] zeolite composites with specific desirable textures is technically challenging. Herein, a novel embryo seed-breeding (ESB) approach was developed to synthesize polycrystalline [email protected] core–shell composites ([email protected]) for boosted light olefin production. For the first time, [email protected] composites composed of a polycrystalline ZSM-5 core and a submicron-sized Beta shell was reported, which shows enhanced inner-diffusion properties and improved hydrothermal stabilities than that of conventional [email protected] composites. In [email protected]B-catalyzed reations, bulky molecules undergone a preliminary cracking into intermediate products within the Beta shell, followed by the direct diffusion into the micropores of the ZSM-5 core where they could be cracked selectively into ethylene and propylene. Compared with physically mixed zeolites and hierarchical ZSM-5, [email protected] composites showed the highest conversion and yield of ethylene and propylene in the cracking reaction of both decalin and practical industrial heavy oil. The superior catalytic activity of [email protected] can be attributed to the high accessibility of acid sites and the ordered hierarchical cracking space derived from the core–shell structure.