Design Synthesis of ITE Zeolite Using Nickel–Amine Complex as an Efficient Structure-Directing Agent

Modern methodologies for synthesizing zeolites typically involve the employment of costly organic structure-directing agents. Herein, we report the design synthesis of aluminosilicate zeolite with ITE structure using an inexpensive nickel–amine complex (nickel–pentaethylenexamine) as a novel structure-directing agent. Characterizations including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, N2 sorption isotherms, and 27Al magic-angle spinning NMR techniques show that the ITE zeolite has high crystallinity, perfect crystals, large surface area, and abundant aluminum species in the framework. More importantly, catalytic tests on the hydrogenation of CO2 into methane show that the Ni–ITE zeolite exhibits better catalytic performance than aluminosilicate-supported and silica-supported nickel catalysts. Obviously, the use of nickel–amine complex offers an alternative and facile way to synthesize aluminosilicate zeolites.