Synthesis and framework topology of the new disordered ERS-10 zeolite

The synthesis and crystal structure of the microporous crystalline aluminosilicate ERS-10 are here described. The zeolite was synthesized using a 6-azonia-spiro-[5,5]-undecane hydroxide as structure directing agent (SDA), tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and aluminium-isopropoxide (AiP) as silica and aluminum sources, respectively. ERS-10 is characterized by a relatively narrow field of existence, since the unselective SDA used favors the crystallization of other zeolite phases (MTW, MOR, Beta). Crystallization of pure ERS-10 requires the hydrothermal treatment at 443 K for at least 240 h of a gel with the following composition: SiO2/Al2O3 = 80–160, SDA/SiO2 = 0.2–0.3, H2O/SiO2 close to 45. Preliminary low resolution powder X-ray characterization revealed that the material is affected by structural disorder such as stacking faults; however the comparison of the powder pattern, and the analysis of the cell parameters obtained by indexing the sharp reflections, suggested a close correlation among ERS-10 and NU-87 (IZA code NES), EU-1 (IZA code EUO) and nonasil (IZA code NON) type zeolites. Starting from this base, using an extensively model building and the program DIFFaX, we were able to demonstrate that the new zeolite material ERS-10 is an intergrowth of three structurally related zeolite with the NON, EUO and NES framework topology.