Zeolites are crystalline hydrated aluminosilicates with a well-defined structure containing ordered cavities and channels; molecules can pass through these channels if their dimensions match the specific channel size—a characteristic that has earned them the name "molecular sieves." The porous nature of the structure results in a large specific surface area, with the total internal pore surface area far exceeding the external surface area. The combination of a crystalline structure and specific sorption and catalytic properties makes molecular sieves widely applicable in the oil refining and petrochemical industries, as well as in the production of detergents and desiccants, gas separation systems, environmental applications, and emerging high-tech fields such as electronics, optics, and sensor technology. At the Institute of Catalysis, the research team focuses on synthesizing various zeolite structures from both pure chemicals and coal ash, while also extensively investigating and characterizing naturally occurring zeolites. Leveraging the crystalline nature and high specific surface area of ??zeolite materials, our work aims to develop highly active catalytic systems for environmentally significant processes. By modifying zeolite structures with various active phases, we create zeolite-supported catalysts used in heterogeneous catalysis for the oxidation of carbon monoxide and environmentally hazardous volatile organic compounds.
