Synthesis of Mo/IM-5 catalyst and its catalytic behavior in methane non-oxidative aromatization

A Mo-modified catalyst, Mo-IM-5, was prepared for the non-oxidative aromatization of methane, and for comparison, Mo-ZSM-5 was also synthesized for the same reaction. The physical properties and acidities of the samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, BET and IR spectroscopy. Compared with Mo-ZSM-5, the Mo-IM-5 catalyst showed both a higher methane conversion and higher benzene selectivity. In addition, Mo-IM-5 was slightly more stable than Mo-ZSM-5. The catalytic behavior of Mo-IM-5 may be attributed to its unusual two-dimensional 10-member-ring channel system with the character of three-dimensional cavity. Furthermore, the effects of different Si/Al ratios, Mo loadings and temperatures on the catalytic performance of Mo-IM-5 were also investigated.