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<span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><img width="600" height="171" id="x_Picture_x0020_3" alt="Dissertation Defense Announcement at the Cullen College of Engineering" style="width:6.25in; height:1.7812in" data-outlook-trace="F:1|T:1" src="cid:image005.jpg@01D845D5.17B10F60"></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:16.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; color:red; text-transform:uppercase">TUNING ZEOLITE PROPERTIES AND UNDERSTANDING REACTION MECHANISMS TO OPTIMIZE CATALYTIC PERFORMANCES</span></b></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:16.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; color:red; text-transform:uppercase"> </span></b></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:13.5pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Deependra Parmar</span></b><span style="font-size:13.5pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">June 9, 2022; 2:00 – 4:00 PM (CST)</span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br>
Room: AREB, Room 320</span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Zoom: </span><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/uh-edu-cougarnet.zoom.us/j/93807108029?pwd=d2l1SHZPNkpad0w4ak1FQXNVRy9SQT09__;!!LkSTlj0I!GM7V-4LQPNCIOZS_eNYWgaCbNcRm4LfWJAyZ7Ywro10RJzhGgt2Fq5knJrGwJTnnBA9FAMAdRRuJ1f2CkhspV5g$" data-auth="NotApplicable"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">https://uh-edu-cougarnet.zoom.us/j/93807108029?pwd=d2l1SHZPNkpad0w4ak1FQXNVRy9SQT09</span></a></p>
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<b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Committee Chair:</span></b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br>
Jeffrey D. Rimer, Ph.D.</span></p>
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<b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Committee Members:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br>
Lars C. Grabow, Ph.D. <b>| </b>Michael P. Harold, Ph.D. <b>|</b> Seth M. Washburn, Ph.D.
<b>|</b> Hsu Chiang, PhD.</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; color:#C8102E">Abstract</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; color:#C8102E"></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> Zeolites are crystalline nanoporous materials with exceptional physicochemical properties that are extensively utilized in heterogeneous catalysis. The (hydro)thermal stability, shape-selectivity,
and tunability of acidity have enabled the use of zeolites in commercial applications in fields such as catalysis, ion-exchange, and gas separations. Optimizing the physiochemical properties of zeolites, however; is a non-trivial task. This dissertation focuses
on tuning zeolite properties that can simultaneously enhance product selectivity and feed utilization for commercially relevant reactions. For example, we show for toluene alkylation with methanol (TAM) at high operating pressure that zeolite MCM-22 (MWW)
has exceptional catalyst lifetime, selectivity, and conversion. We systematically probe catalytic behavior of active sites in distinct topological features of MCM-22, revealing that high p-xylene selectivity and catalyst stability are predominantly attributed
to sinusoidal channels and supercages, respectively. We propose a spatiotemporal coke coupling phenomenon to explain a multi-stage p-xylene selectivity profile wherein the formation of light coke in supercages initiates the deactivation of unselective external
surface sites. Furthermore, we utilize heteroatoms (metals other than Si and Al) as growth modifiers to improve the diffusion properties and hydrothermal stability of the zeolite crystals. We have developed a facile and generalizable strategy to synthesize
nano-sized zeolites (< 100 nm) using GeO<sub>2</sub> additive. With improved diffusional properties, nano-sized zeolites show exceptional performance for methanol-to-hydrocarbons (MTH) reaction as compared to their conventional counterparts. We also report
a new method to achieve high silica zeolite Y (Si/Al = 3.5), via an organic-free route using zinc oxide addition. High silica content improves the hydrothermal stability of zeolite Y, and also enhances catalytic activity with the majority of acidity originating
from Lewis acid sites. </span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><img border="0" width="600" height="82" id="x_Picture_x0020_4" alt="Engineered For What's Next" style="width:6.25in; height:.8541in" data-outlook-trace="F:1|T:1" src="cid:image006.jpg@01D845D5.17B10F60"></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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