Microporous solids are materials with regular arrays of cavities of a uniform size and shape. Well known types of microporous solids are zeolites and aluminophosphates. A typical zeolite, ZSM-5, is shown below.The presence of the cavities and channels in their structures give these materials a number of unique properties. Their ability to selectively absorb molecules of a certain size and shape has led to their widespread use as:-
A view of ZSM-5 showing the channels running through the structure. The green tetrahedra represent AlO4 and SiO4 units