In order to create novel zeolite host-guest materials for use as catalysts, optical materials or adsorption materials, an understanding of the behavior of molecules within the constrained environment of the zeolite pores or channels must be developed. The material of interest in this project is a dye molecule, known as Brooker’s merocyanine (4-[(1-methyl-4(1H)-pyridinylidene)ethylidene]-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-one) adsorbed to Zeolite L. Brooker’s merocyanine is a dye molecule that has a very large molecular hyperpolarizability for a relatively small molecule, and it has been used to create nonlinear optical materials when the dye is aligned. Zeolite L (LTL) was chosen for the simple one-dimensional channel structure, and it was synthesized and characterized using x-ray diffraction. Zeolite L spontaneously adsorbed Brooker’s merocyanine from solution under a variety of experimental conditions to optimize the dye loading process, including varied solvents, pH conditions, and temperatures. UV-Vis spectroscopy was performed to determine the degree of dye loading. Brooker’s merocyanine was strongly adsorbed to the zeolite crystals and could not be washed off, resulting in a maximum dye loading of approximately 10<sup>17</sup> molecules of dye/gram of zeolite. BET analysis was used to determine the location of the dye, whether adsorbed to the surface or within the zeolite channel. By fully characterizing this material, a better understanding of the dye-zeolite interactions was achieved in order to optimize the properties necessary to create new nonlinear optical materials.

Analysis of the adsorption process of Brooker’s merocyanine dye to zeolite L

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