Integrity Review Report — Tailoring Zeolite Nanosheets via Protozeolite-Directed Growth for Enhanced Methanol-to-Propylene Conversion (DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c04878)

Academic fraud report · Geng Detector

Summary

Verdict: ⚠️ Questionable (insufficient evidence for definitive misconduct). This review examined a 2026 Journal of the American Chemical Society paper by Jiakang Zhang and co-authors on protozeolite-directed zeolite nanosheets for methanol-to-propylene conversion. Three concerns were raised, none substantiated with conclusive textual or image-based proof. (1) Figure 1j: the adsorption branches of N2 isotherms for PZ(Al)-300, PZ(Ti)-40, and PZ(Si) overlap almost perfectly across p/p0 = 0.0–0.9, which is physically unusual given their differing compositions; the manuscript provides no explanation. (2) Figure 4c and 4d: TEM images use semi-transparent blue overlays to mark dimensions — a non-original presentation that could conceivably obscure artifacts, though no direct evidence of manipulation was found. (3) Figure 5a: the Z-PZ-300-120 methanol-conversion curve shows a remarkably smooth linear decline over 0–60 h, atypical for heterogeneous catalysis. All three issues are rated mild and flagged as evidence-insufficient. Confidence is limited to visual inspection; raw data were not available for reanalysis.

Verdict

⚠️ Questionable — evidence insufficient

The three anomalies identified are visually suggestive but lack conclusive textual or image-based corroboration. No definitive misconduct is established.

Key findings

Figure 1j — N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms (PZ(Al)-300, PZ(Ti)-40, PZ(Si)): Adsorption branches overlap almost perfectly across p/p0 ≈ 0.0–0.9 despite different chemical compositions; manuscript provides no discussion. Authors only state microporous surface area of 24–118 m²/g, total surface area of 743–876 m²/g, and mesoporous volume of 0.47–0.70 cm³/g.
Figure 4c and 4d — TEM images with non-original overlays: Blue semi-transparent overlays are used to annotate dimensions of S-IPZ-120 and S-IPZ-120-5wt samples (S-IPZ-120-5wt reported aspect ratio 52.0; particle size ~912 × 114 × 5013 nm). Overlays are non-standard and could in principle obscure artifacts, but no textual evidence of misuse.
Figure 5a — Catalytic lifetime curve of Z-PZ-300-120: Exceptionally smooth, near-linear methanol-conversion decline over 0–60 h; lacks the stochastic variation typically seen in MTP data. Z-PZ-300-120 reportedly achieves 76 h lifetime versus 58 h for Z-PZ-300-60.

Evidence highlights

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c04878 (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2026)
Quantitative claims preserved from manuscript:
Microporous surface area: 24–118 m²/g
Total surface area: 743–876 m²/g
Mesoporous volume: 0.47–0.70 cm³/g
S-IPZ-120-5wt aspect ratio: 52.0; dimensions ~912 × 114 × 5013 nm
Catalytic lifetime: Z-PZ-300-120 = 76 h; Z-PZ-300-60 = 58 h
Sample labels in question: PZ(Al)-300, PZ(Ti)-40, PZ(Si), S-IPZ-120, S-IPZ-120-5wt, Z-PZ-300-120, Z-PZ-300-60

Notes

All three findings are rated minor and marked ⚠️ evidence insufficient.
Review is based on the manuscript text and on visual inspection of the published figures; raw adsorption, TEM, and catalytic data were not available for reanalysis.
The unusually smooth Z-PZ-300-120 curve could plausibly arise from data averaging, low-frequency sampling, or post-processing; without raw reactor data, an alternative benign explanation cannot be ruled out.
No image-duplication, panel-reuse, or plagiarism indicators were detected in the materials reviewed.
Recommended next step: request the authors' raw N2 adsorption isotherms, raw TEM micrographs (without overlays), and time-resolved MTP conversion data for independent verification.