Zeolites are microporous crystalline materials, which are widely used in catalysis, adsorption, and ion-exchange processes. However, in most cases, the synthesis of novel zeolites as functional materials still relies on trial-and-error methods, which are time consuming and expensive. Therefore, the motivation for this thesis work is to understand the zeolite synthesis mechanismand further develop knowledge for manipulating zeolite properties and ultimately the rational design of porous materials. This work focused on formation of silicalite-1 (pure-silica ZSM-5) from basic aqueous solutions containing tetraorthosilicate (TEOS) as silica source, and tetrapropylammonium (TPA) cations as the organic structure-directing agent. The presence of silica precursor particles with size of 2-5 nm in these mixtures prior to and during hydrothermal treatments have been observed through dynamic light scattering (DLS), small-angle X-ray (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). However, to quantify composition and the molecular structure transformation of these silica precursor particles during zeolite synthesis is still a technical challenge. Another important yet unresolved question is how organocations interact with these nanoparticles and direct zeolite nuclei. Unlike many studies performed analyzing the inorganic phase (silica) present in synthesis mixtures, this study quantified the organocation-silica particle interaction and its ultimate effect on zeolite growth mainly through probing the behavior of the organocations. Pulsed-field gradient (PFG) NMR was used to capture the mobility change of organocations, and was complemented with scattering measurements (DLS, SAXS) on the silica nanoparticles. On the basis of the measurement results, the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the organic-inorganic interaction were derived. Upon aging at room temperature, this interaction manifested as binding of TPA onto the silica particles due to electrostatic interactions, and such binding behavior can be well described by the Langmuir adsorption model. Upon hydrothermal treatment, a fraction of TPA adsorbed at room temperature dissociates from the growing silica nanoparticles and the corresponding desorption profiles were fitted well by the pseudo-second order kinetic model. The addition of tetramethylammonium (TMA) as "competitors" promoted TPA desorption kinetics and hindered silica nanoparticle growth due to stronger association of TMA with particles than that of TPA. Finally, the TPA adsorption strength increased via addition of monovalent salts with increasing ionic size whereas that of TMA shows an opposite trend. This suggests one potential route for tuning the organic-silica precursor particle interactions and thus possibly affecting some kinetics steps in the synthesis.

The primary aim of this thesis is to investigate and quantify the self-diffusion processes of gaseous molecules adsorbed in industrially relevant microporous zeolite materials using Pulsed Field Gradient Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (PFG NMR). The main body of this work involves the use of weakly adsorbing hydrocarbon gases (CH4, C2H6 and C3H¬8) adsorbed in a large pore β-zeolite structure. This thesis describes the development of a solely PFG NMR based technique for measuring the molecular displacements of these species at varying length-scales. This enabled the characterisation of self-diffusion regimes across zeolite beds and within individual zeolite crystallites. The characterisation of self-diffusion processes within single zeolite crystallites was critical with respect to accounting for quantitative discrepancies reported in the literature between PFG NMR and alternative measurement techniques. This approach also revealed that the transitions in the Gaussian probability distributions of the molecular displacements in the aforementioned self-diffusion regimes could be recorded by varying the experimental time-scale for observing molecular motion. This technique was extended to characterise the self-diffusion processes of the aforementioned hydrocarbons in small (≤ 1 μm) and large (≥ 15 μm) zeolite crystallites to investigate the dependence of this technique on zeolite geometry. It was found that the self-diffusion coefficients within single crystallites were in good agreement with one another, despite their differing crystallite geometries. This technique was subsequently used to study the self-diffusion behaviour of two-component hydrocarbon gaseous mixtures with differing sorption properties co-adsorbed in β-zeolite. Excellent chemical shift resolution was obtained for chemically similar species using NMR spectroscopy, relaxometry and diffusometry without the use of Magic Angle Spinning (MAS). This connoted that conventional PFG NMR is capable of precisely characterising individual species in real world multi-component systems. This thesis also describes the self-diffusion of ammonia in small pore chabazite structures, which are typically used in Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) processes. It was found that the self-diffusion coefficient of this strongly adsorbing species increased with molecular loading up to a certain point. This peculiar behaviour implied a strong concentration and inter-molecular dependence within the zeolite structure. Lastly, the techniques which were developed at high magnetic field strengths (300 MHz) were transferred to a lower field strength (43 MHz) benchtop spectrometer at the Johnson Matthey Technology Centre (JMTC). This describes the first characterisation of mass transport behaviour of weakly interacting sorbates in zeolites using a portable spectrometer. This presents an excellent opportunity for future off-line molecular displacement measurements to be made for complex and real-world systems in a matter of minutes.

The diffusion behavior of guest molecules introduced in porous materials has been studied. Diffusion studies in such porous materials may help for elucidating the structural properties, transport mechanism and/or surface barriers of the zeolite structure. The focus of this work is on diffusion in nanoporous materials with complex pore spaces. First a short introduction in the basics of diffusion and the PFG NMR technique (Pulsed Field Gradient Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) is described. In the following two chapters the diffusion in hierarchical pore spaces or, to be more precise, zeolites with generated mesopores, which traverse the microporous bulk phase, are investigated. The hierarchical pore spaces consists in the first case of micro- and mesopores and in the second case of micro-, meso- and macropores. The diffusion behavior in these materials has been investigated revealing diffusion acceleration in the mesoporous samples, as compared to the purely microporous material. In the next chapter the diffusion behavior in glass samples with different porosity and their complementary pore space is investigated. Diffusion with full loaded pore spaces and surface diffusion, where the molecules were only able to diffuse along the pore walls, has been explored. The aim was to find out to what extent the diffusion in two complementary pore spaces is correlated. In the last chapter, the effect of an inorganic binder on the transport in zeolite pellets has been studied. First the diffusion behavior in binderless zeolite beads in comparison with the zeolite powder employed for their production has been explored. The particular interest was to find out up to which extent the diffusion patterns observed with the powder samples could again be recognized in the beads. In a second study the transport characteristics within binderless molecular sieves have been investigated, with the purpose to reveal differences in the diffusion behavior in comparison with their binder-containing counterparts.

Das Ziel der Arbeit war es, Skalenverhalten und Lösungseigenschaften von flexiblen Dendrimeren als Modell für hochverzweigte Polymere zu untersuchen. Als Untersuchungsmethode wurde die gepulste Feldgradienten NMR (PFG-NMR) eingesetzt, um das hydrodynamische Verhalten der Dendrimere in Lösung zu erforschen. Aus der Konzentrationsabhängigkeit des Diffusionskoeffizienten konnte abgeleitet werden, dass das Verhalten der PAMAM-Dendrimere dem von Proteinen ähnelt, die Dendrimere also starr und globulär sind. Um die Abhängigkeit des hydrodynamischen Radius von der Molmasse zu untersuchen, kamen Lösungen von mehreren Generationen PAMAM-Dendrimeren mit verschiedenen Endgruppen zum Einsatz. Mit PFG-NMR wurden die Diffusionskoeffizienten bestimmt, aus denen die hydrodynamischen Radien nach der Stokes-Einstein-Beziehung berechnet wurden. Ein Skalenansatz lieferte die beste Beschreibung der Daten für alle drei untersuchten Systeme. Die ermittelten Skalenexponenten waren u = 3,7 für alle untersuchten PAMAM-Dendrimere. Dies bedeutet, dass deren Wachstum im dreidimensionalen Raum begrenzt ist, da der Skalenexponent einen Wert größer drei annimmt. Die Art der Endgruppen hatte in diesem Fall keinen erkennbaren Einfluss auf das Skalenverhalten. An Lysin-Dendrimeren wurde der Einfluss der Kernfunktionalität auf den Skalenexponenten untersucht. Die Lysin-Dendrimere standen als Monodendren (Kernfunktionalität, KF=1) und als Dendrimere mit einem Thiacalixaren-Kern (Thia1: KF=2, Thia2: KF=4) zur Verfügung. Die Skalenexponenten waren folgende: Für das Monodendron war u = 2,0, für Thia1 war u = 2,3 und Thia2 hatte einen Skalenexponent von u = 3,9. Da die Dendren in allen drei Fällen identisch waren, muss dieser Unterschied durch den Kern begründet sein. Weiter wurde die effektive Ladung von PAMAM-COONa G1,5 Dendrimeren in verdünnter D2O-Lösung als Funktion des pH-Werts mit Hilfe von Elektrophorese-NMR untersucht. Dabei änderte diese sich von Zeff = -5 e bei pH 12,6 zu Zeff = +5 e bei pH 1,8.

Das Ziel der Arbeit war es, Skalenverhalten und Lösungseigenschaften von flexiblen Dendrimeren als Modell für hochverzweigte Polymere zu untersuchen. Als Untersuchungsmethode wurde die gepulste Feldgradienten NMR (PFG-NMR) eingesetzt, um das hydrodynamische Verhalten der Dendrimere in Lösung zu erforschen. Aus der Konzentrationsabhängigkeit des Diffusionskoeffizienten konnte abgeleitet werden, dass das Verhalten der PAMAM-Dendrimere dem von Proteinen ähnelt, die Dendrimere also starr und globulär sind. Um die Abhängigkeit des hydrodynamischen Radius von der Molmasse zu untersuchen, kamen Lösungen von mehreren Generationen PAMAM-Dendrimeren mit verschiedenen Endgruppen zum Einsatz. Mit PFG-NMR wurden die Diffusionskoeffizienten bestimmt, aus denen die hydrodynamischen Radien nach der Stokes-Einstein-Beziehung berechnet wurden. Ein Skalenansatz lieferte die beste Beschreibung der Daten für alle drei untersuchten Systeme. Die ermittelten Skalenexponenten waren u = 3,7 für alle untersuchten PAMAM-Dendrimere. Dies bedeutet, dass deren Wachstum im dreidimensionalen Raum begrenzt ist, da der Skalenexponent einen Wert größer drei annimmt. Die Art der Endgruppen hatte in diesem Fall keinen erkennbaren Einfluss auf das Skalenverhalten. An Lysin-Dendrimeren wurde der Einfluss der Kernfunktionalität auf den Skalenexponenten untersucht. Die Lysin-Dendrimere standen als Monodendren (Kernfunktionalität, KF=1) und als Dendrimere mit einem Thiacalixaren-Kern (Thia1: KF=2, Thia2: KF=4) zur Verfügung. Die Skalenexponenten waren folgende: Für das Monodendron war u = 2,0, für Thia1 war u = 2,3 und Thia2 hatte einen Skalenexponent von u = 3,9. Da die Dendren in allen drei Fällen identisch waren, muss dieser Unterschied durch den Kern begründet sein. Weiter wurde die effektive Ladung von PAMAM-COONa G1,5 Dendrimeren in verdünnter D2O-Lösung als Funktion des pH-Werts mit Hilfe von Elektrophorese-NMR untersucht. Dabei änderte diese sich von Zeff = -5 e bei pH 12,6 zu Zeff = +5 e bei pH 1,8.

Würzburg, Universiẗat, Diss., 2008.

University, Diss., 2005--Freiburg (Breisgau).

The work analyzes the dynamics of carbon dioxide adsorbed in crystals of anisotropic metalo-organic frameworks Zn2(BDC)2(DABCO). It utilizes nuclear magnetic resonance methods, namely, the 13 C spetroscopy, the PFG method and the measurement of longitudinal relaxation times. Experimental data are compared with calculation of molecular dynamics. The thesis provides a theoretical model for explaining the temperature dependence of the residual anisotropy of the chemical shift observed in the spectra. The method of measuring diffusion anistropy based on the change of the shape of the 13 C spectra is described. The work determines the theoretical course of dependence of the longitudinal relaxation time on temperature using Redfield's theory. Times characterizing dynamic processes running on a picosecond scale that determine the dynamics of the fluid as a whole are evaluated from the data. 2

Diffusion is an omnipresent, most fundamental phenomenon in nature and thus critical for the performance of numerous technologies. This is in particular true for nanoporous materials with manifold applications for matter upgrading by separation, purification and conversion. The path lengths of molecular transportation within the industrial plants range from the elementary steps of diffusion within the micropores of the individual particles up to the matter flow over macroscopic distances. Each of them might be decisive in determining overall performance so that detailed knowledge of all modes of mass transfer is crucial for a knowledge-based optimization of the devices with reference to their transport properties. The rate of mass transfer is particularly complicated to be assessed within the individual (adsorbent) particles/crystallites with pore sizes of the order of molecular dimensions. We are going to present two powerful techniques exactly for this application, operating under both equilibrium (Pulsed Field Gradient (PFG) NMR) and non-equilibrium (Microimaging by interference microscopy and IR microscopy) conditions. The potentials of these techniques are demonstrated in a few showcases, notably including the options of transport enhancement in pore hierarchies. The contribution concludes with a survey on present activities within an IUPAC initiative aiming at the elaboration of “guidelines for measurements and reporting of diffusion properties of chemical compounds in nanoporous materials”.

Gegenstand der Arbeit ist die Untersuchung der kollektiven Diffusion von Wasser und Ionen in wässrigen Elektrolytlösungen. Dabei wird insbesondere die Dynamik der Wassermoleküle innerhalb der Hydratationshüllen der Ionen und der Einfluss poröser Materialien untersucht. Nach einer Einführung zur Dynamik der Hydratationshülle folgen Grundlagen der NMR-Diffusometrie, welche genutzt wurde um die Selbstdiffusionskoefifizienten der Wassermoleküle und der Ionen der Lösungen zu messen. Daraus wurden die dynamischen Hydratationszahlen der Ionen bestimmt, welche die Anzahl an Wassermolekülen angeben, die durch die Diffusion des Ions in ihrer translatorischen Bewegung beeinflusst sind. Der Einfluss poröser Materialien auf die Dynamik wird am Beispiel nanoporöser Glasmonolithe und mikroporöser Li-LSX Kristalle untersucht.