Two-Step Hydrothermal Synthesis of Submicrometric and Hierarchical Hollow SAPO-34 with Superior Catalytic Performance in Methanol to Olefin (MTO) Reaction

A submicrometric and hierarchical hollow SAPO-34 molecular sieve was synthesized by an easy and low-cost two-step hydrothermal method. First, the crystallized mixture was obtained by direct drying after a first-step hydrothermal reaction. Then, the SAPO-34 product was obtained by adding the crystallized mixture to silicon-free gel and using cheap and common template agents. Compared to conventional SAPO-34, the submicrometric and hierarchical hollow SAPO-34 exhibits superior catalytic activity in the MTO reaction.