Encapsulation of ultra-small Cu–Fe into ZSM-5 zeolites for NH3-SCR with broad reaction-temperature ranges

A direct hydrothermal synthesis strategy is developed to prepare the Cu–Fe-ZSM-5 zeolites by using the ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium dihydrate (EDTA-2Na·2H2O) chelated Cu2+ and Fe3+ precursors as metal sources. During the crystallization, the metal chelates were spontaneously embedded into the ZSM-5 crystals and subsequently transformed to the zeolites encapsulated copper and iron species after removing the chelating agent via the high-temperature calcination. Rigorous characterizations indicate that the resulted Cu2+/Cu+ and Fe3+/Fe2+ species are formed ultra-small nano-composites with an average diameter of ∼2.2 nm and highly dispersed in the ZSM-5 zeolite crystals. The acidity of the ZSM-5 zeolites is subtly modulated by the encapsulated Cu–Fe nano-composite. As expected, the as-prepared Cu–Fe-ZSM-5 exhibits outstanding catalytic performance for the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with ammonia (NH3-SCR) in the broad reaction temperature ranges of 220–480 °C, which is much better than the Cu–Fe/ZSM-5 prepared with the conventional wetness impregnation method. Furthermore, the resultant zeolites show high stability and good tolerance to H2O and SO2, and it is very competitive for practical application to eliminate NOx. The developed one-pot hydrothermal synthesis route by using EDTA-2Na·2H2O as chelating agent is very convenient and easily reproducible, providing a general guideline to design and fabricate the superior transition metal modified zeolite catalysts for NH3-SCR and the related reactions.