Understanding the interactions between organic template and metal cations to assemble zeolite frameworks

Zeolites are highly crystalline aluminosilicate materials which are characterised by their microporosity and open framework structures. Due to their porosity, zeolites have a variety of applications including catalysis, hydrocracking, ion-exchange and as drug release materials. Many zeolites are made using organic structure directing agents (OSDA). We intend to use inelastic neutron scattering (INS) spectroscopy on the TOSCA instrument to probe the OSDA - tetramethylammonium molecule in three zeolite structures. This will give an indication as to how tetramethylammonium molecule is occupying the zeolite cavity, allowing us also to identify its possible shape and interaction with the zeolite framework. This will lead to better understanding as to what role tetramethylammonium plays in synthesis of those zeolites, and to the general understanding of OSDA role in zeolite synthesis.