Catalytic Performance of Post-Treated Thin-Plate ZSM-5 for Allyl Alcohol Etherification

Diallyl ether possesses unique chemical activities due to its dual functional allyl group and ether bond and is thus a high-value-added fine chemical with diverse applications. In this work, thin-plate ZSM-5 is synthesized and then subjected to alkaline post-treatment to improve its catalytic performance for allyl alcohol etherification to diallyl ether. The study shows that the post-treatment impacts on both the microstructure and acidic properties of ZSM-5. Although the selectivity of diallyl ether obtained over different ZSM-5 catalysts are similarly high, the treatment with tetrapropylammonium hydroxide and/or dilute NaOH solutions enhances the conversion of allyl alcohol. The highest turnover number of the reaction achieves when there is a moderate amount of strong acid sites in ZSM-5. This study contributes to the knowledge base for potential application of ZSM-5 in diallyl ether production from allyl alcohol.