Visualization of Mesostructures and Organic Guest Inclusion in Molecular Sieves with Confocal Microscopy

The visualization of mesopores and defects in porous molecular sieves, as well as of the incorporation dynamics and spatial distribution of guest molecules, is achieved by optical confocal microscopy of single crystals immersed in solutions of fluorescent dyes. The Figure shows a fluorescence image of a silicalite crystal treated with the dye oxazine-1, revealing a defect. The technique permits easy characterization of molecular sieves.