Influence of topology and brønsted acid site presence on methanol diffusion in zeolites beta and MFI

Detailed insight into molecular diffusion in zeolite frameworks is crucial for the analysis of the factors governing their catalytic performance in methanol-to-hydrocarbons (MTH) reactions. In this work, we present a molecular dynamics study of the diffusion of methanol in all-silica and acidic zeolite MFI and Beta frameworks over the range of temperatures 373–473 K. Owing to the difference in pore dimensions, methanol diffusion is more hindered in H-MFI, with diffusion coefficients that do not exceed 10 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²s⁻¹. In comparison, H-Beta shows diffusivities that are one to two orders of magnitude larger. Consequently, the activation energy of translational diffusion can reach 16 kJ·mol⁻¹ in H-MFI, depending on the molecular loading, against a value for H-Beta that remains between 6 and 8 kJ·mol⁻¹. The analysis of the radial distribution functions and the residence time at the Brønsted acid sites shows a greater probability for methylation of the framework in the MFI structure compared to zeolite Beta, with the latter displaying a higher prevalence for methanol clustering. These results contribute to the understanding of the differences in catalytic performance of zeolites with varying micropore dimensions in MTH reactions.