ERI: towards extra-large-pore zeolite catalysis performance with multilayer zeolite nanosheets

The University of Texas at Tyler received $199,850 in funding under an Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CFDA 47.041). The award, announced September 15, 2025, supports research and development activities through August 31, 2027, focused on advancing zeolite catalyst technology for sustainable biomass conversion. The primary research deliverable involves developing multilayer zeolite nanosheets with tunable interlayer gaps of approximately 1 nanometer or larger to overcome conventional zeolite limitations. These advanced catalysts will enable improved reaction rates and selective molecular processing through enhanced accessibility to catalytic sites, with performance validated using catalytic cracking of hexadecane and hydropyrolysis of lignin as model systems.

In addition to technical research outputs, the grant supports educational components designed to strengthen engineering workforce development at UT Tyler. The project will generate research findings on molecular transport properties and adsorption characteristics of zeolite nanosheets through dynamic adsorption experiments, as well as comprehensive catalytic and adsorption testing data. By addressing barriers to large-molecule processing in traditional zeolites, this research contributes to reducing production costs and enabling industrial implementation of sustainable chemical and fuel production technologies derived from biomass feedstocks.

Abstract

Producing chemicals and fuels from biomass will help to ensure a sustainable future. Catalysts facilitate the rapid cracking of biomass and highly selective production of valuable chemicals. They play a vital role in reducing production costs and industrial implementation of sustainable technologies. Zeolites, a widely used class of catalysts in cracking reactions, face limitations due to their sub-nanometer pores. These pores prevent large biomass derived molecules from accessing the catalytic sites within conventional zeolite crystals. The goal of this research is to develop zeolite-based catalysts with advanced hierarchical structures to improve reaction rates and tune product distributions. The educational objectives are to draw talented students into engineering at the university of texas at tyler (UT tyler) and to prepare the next generation of the stem workforce through a combination of comprehensive curriculum and hands-on research experiences. The research goal of this project is to develop an effective strategy to synthesize large-lateral-size multilayer MFI zeolite nanosheets with tunable interlayer gaps. With interlayer gaps of ~1 NM or larger, the zeolite multilayer nanosheets offer excellent acid site accessibility and enable selective molecule removal through the zeolitic channels. They are hypothesized to achieve both high catalytic reaction rates and superior shape selectivity towards desirable small molecules. Catalytic cracking of hexadecane and hydropyrolysis of lignin will be used as model systems to evaluate the zeolite nanosheet catalytic properties. Dynamic adsorption experiments with probe molecules will be conducted to investigate molecule transport properties of the nanosheets. Transport properties of the nanosheets will be further tailored by adjusting the interlayer GAP size through directed synthesis. Extensive catalytic and adsorption testing, combined with molecular transport and reaction modeling, will contribute to a systematic understanding of how the molecular transport properties can be leveraged to tune catalytic performance. Insights gained from this research will lay the groundwork for developing advanced nanosheet-based catalysts, such as metal/zeolite bifunctional catalysts and zeolite nanosheets incorporating lewis acid sites. The PI will engage in outreach activities in partnership with the UT tyler university academy and develop hands-on demonstration modules. Materials innovations and reaction engineering aspects will be integrated into the PI?s courses. This project will actively engage k-12 students and prepare UT tyler students with strong engineering mindsets and a solid foundation in chemical engineering principles. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.