Creating Hierarchical Pores in Zeolite Catalysts

Hierarchical zeolites containing both microporosity and meso/macroporosity have emerged as a new and important branch of zeolites due to their potential for improving mass transfer and molecular accessibility, which are key to overcoming steric, diffusional, and coke-formation limitations in catalytic reactions. In this review, we present significant recent progress in the fabrication of hierarchical zeolites via mesoporogen, mesoporogen-free, and demetallization strategies and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method. The impact of the hierarchical structures of zeolites (e.g., CHA, FAU) on their enhanced catalytic activity and product selectivity is highlighted. Finally, we address the current challenges and future perspectives for the designed construction of hierarchical zeolite catalysts to meet the increasing demands for industrial catalytic applications.