Abstract Engineering next‐generation zeolite catalysts requires state‐of‐the‐art synthesis techniques to tailor the properties of materials along with robust methods to evaluate their catalytic performance. Here, we introduce hydrothermal annealing as a facile and highly effective method to improve the activity and lifetime of zeolite catalysts. This post‐synthesis treatment uses a siliceous growth solution at approximate solubility of zeolite crystals with high temperature to alter the physicochemical properties of as‐synthesized materials. We employ the methanol‐to‐hydrocarbons (MTH) process as a benchmark reaction, along with a wide range of characterization techniques, to assess the impact of annealing on four nanosized and hierarchical ZSM‐5 materials compared to a commercial sample. Our findings reveal that annealing significantly increased cumulative MTH turnover without appreciably altering product selectivity, despite non‐obvious changes to zeolite structure as a result of the annealing process. Comparisons of catalyst performance are made under identical reaction conditions using a descriptor that correlates cumulative turnovers to compositional, mass transport, and textural properties of each material – in line with growing efforts to increase rigor and reproducibility in the field of catalysis. The collective approach used in this study serves as a guideline for establishing structure‐composition‐performance relationships for zeolite‐based catalysts across wide‐ranging applications.
Shilpa et al. (Thu,) studied this question.