Vapour-phase-transport rearrangement technique for the synthesis of new zeolites

Owing to the significant difference in the numbers of simulated and experimentally feasible zeolite structures, several alternative strategies have been developed for zeolite synthesis. Despite their rationality and originality, most of these techniques are based on trial-and-error, which makes it difficult to predict the structure of new materials. Assembly-Disassembly-Organization-Reassembly (ADOR) method overcoming this limitation was successfully applied to a limited number of structures with relatively stable crystalline layers (UTL, UOV, *CTH). Here, we report a straightforward, vapour-phase-transport strategy for the transformation of IWW zeolite with low-density silica layers connected by labile Ge-rich units into material with new topology. In situ XRD and XANES studies on the mechanism of IWW rearrangement reveal an unusual structural distortion-reconstruction of the framework throughout the process. Therefore, our findings provide a step forward towards engineering nanoporous materials and increasing the number of zeolites available for future applications. Assembly-Disassembly-Organization-Reassembly (ADOR) is a valuable method to prepare zeolites of predictable topologies, but has yet to be successfully applied on open framework zeolites. Here, the authors show that non-contact vapour-phase-transport rearrangement allows access to new zeolite topologies from open framework zeolites.