Structural aspects of synthetic zeolite: A comparative assay through positron annihilation and gas adsorption methods

Structural arrangement in alumino-silicate compounds (synthetic zeolite species), which encompasses large cavities and channels, have been discussed on the basis of their molecular organization and is further illustrated with the help of micrographs as perceived through transmission electron microscopic studies. The crystallinity aspects and structural defects were investigated through line broadening in x-ray diffraction and the grain sizes through the Debye-Scherrer method. Further, assays of the void size (micro- as well as mesopores) have been performed through positronium annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller adsorption-desorption isotherm and compared. Despite of some of the limitations of the latter, the final results are in close agreement. The utility of PALS as a microprobe is illustrated through our models. Finally, it has been justified that PALS not only probes the subnanometer micropore sizes efficiently but it also senses the mesopores. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.