Adsorption of Xe in zeolite MCM-22

Adsorption of xenon in zeolite MCM-22, a zeolite containing two separate pore systems, has been investigated in detail by variable temperature (VT) 129Xe NMR spectroscopy. NMR results suggest that Xe atoms are preferentially adsorbed in the supercages of the zeolite at low Xe pressure (less than a few atmosphere), while Xe atoms can penetrate into the two-dimensional sinusoidal channels at high Xe pressure. Exchange of xenon at the different adsorption sites in the same supercage, i.e. xenon atoms in the two pockets and those in the central part of the supercage, was confirmed at 145 K by two-dimensional (2D) 129Xe NMR exchange spectroscopy. The time scale for the exchange is about several milliseconds.