Synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction and computational investigation of purely siliceous zeolite Y under pressure.

High-pressure synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction measurements of a sample of purely siliceous zeolite Y (faujasite) were carried out up to 8.0 GPa at room temperature using a diamond anvil cell. Measurements using silicone oil as the pressure-transmitting medium show compression of the zeolite followed by a loss of long-range ordering at 2.2 GPa. The experimentally determined bulk modulus, 38(2) GPa, is, within experimental error, identical to that of quartz. When using a methanol:ethanol:water mixture (16:3:1) as the pressure-transmitting medium, two distinct compressibility regions are observed with a dramatic change in the compression mechanism at 4 GPa. Rietveld refinement analysis of the powder patterns provides a detailed description of the underlying chemistry, with sequential pore filling the main response up to 4 GPa and framework distortions at higher pressures.