Simultaneous monitoring of amorphous and crystalline phases in silicalite precursor gels. An in situ hydrothermal and time-resolved small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering study

The gel transformations and subsequent crystallization that occur in the precursor reaction mixture of silicalite were investigated using simultaneous small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS-WAXS). The SAXS-WAXS measurements, together with the use of a high flux of synchrotron radiation and a newly developed high-pressure reaction cell, provide the possibility of in situ hydrothermal and time-resolved monitoring of amorphous gel transformations and crystallization.