日本ゼオライト学会　刊行物 Publication of Japan Zeolite Association

Zeolites have brought various technological breakthroughs partly because they exhibit a high shapeselectivity, which is enabled by their uniform and molecular-size pores. However, because of the limitations in the maximumpore aperture of 0.74 nm in conventional zeolites, zeolites have found limited applications in the catalytic conversion of bulky substrates. Emergence of a new class of zeolitic materials derived from delamination of layered zeolite precursors offers new opportunities for zeolites in these reactions because a large number of catalytically active-sites embedded between zeolite layers potentially become available via delamination. Delamination of layered zeolite precursors have been conventionally performed via multiple steps consisting of high-pH swelling (pH≈13.5) and sonication steps, followed by acidification. These harsh conditions inevitably lead to a partial destruction of the zeolite framework. This review describes the conventional method of delamination of layered zeoliteprecursors and its challenges first, and then a new method of delamination of layered zeolite precursors under mild conditions using a surfactant mixture with fluoride and chloride in either aqueous or nonaqueous solution.