Anton Petushkov

Graduate Research Assistant
Office: 177 CB
Phone: (319) 335-0512
email: anton-petushkov@uiowa.edu

Degrees

  B.S., Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (2003)
  M.S., Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (2006)

Research Project: Template Free Synthesis

Zeolites are porous crystalline materials that have many different applications in fuel processing, catalysis, separation etc. They are also perspective materials for biomedical applications such as drug delivery. Zeolite synthesis does not usually require a complicated set-up. However, it is difficult to determine experimental conditions required for obtaining zeolites with specific parameters. Conventional hydrothermal synthesis of zeolites involves the use of so-called templates. These are bulky organic molecules used to control type and pore dimensions of synthesized zeolites. However, template molecules stay in the pores after synthesis and have to be burned out to free void space. Exposure to high temperatures degrades the quality of obtained zeolites. My project involves looking for ways to synthesize zeolite nanoparticles without templates. One of the ways to compensate for absence of templates is the use of zeolite seed crystals to promote crystallization of the reaction gel. A careful choice of reactants and their ratio, time and temperature of hydrothermal treatment are required for synthesis of highly crystalline material with large specific surface area.