Abstract: The present invention relates to a material comprising (i) an inner part comprising or consisting of bulk silicon, (ii) an outer part comprising or consisting of a silicon-based compound, said silicon-based compound comprising of silicon and a non-metal element, and (iii) clusters comprising or consisting of a transition metal. The present invention relates to preparation and applications of said material.

Abstract: Process for the conversion of non-oxidative coupling of methane to ethylene, under non-oxidative conditions, comprising: providing a first stream containing at least 50 vol. % of methane based on the total volume of said first stream; providing a catalyst; putting in contact said first stream with said catalyst at a weight hour space velocity ranging from 0.5 to 100 h?1, a temperature ranging from 500° C. to 1100° C. and a pressure ranging from 0.1 MPa to 5 Mpa in the absence of oxygen; recovering a second stream containing unconverted methane if any, ethylene and hydrocarbons having at least 2 carbon atoms. Said process is remarkable in that said catalyst is a synthetic zeolite material, containing at least one metal M with silicon to metal M molar ratio Si/M as determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry ranging from 100 to 65440 and in that said metal M is incorporated inside of the zeolite tetrahedral sites.

Abstract: Process for the conversion of non-oxidative coupling of methane to ethylene, under non-oxidative conditions, comprising: providing a first stream containing at least 50 vol. % of methane based on the total volume of said first stream; providing a catalyst; putting in contact said first stream with said catalyst at a weight hour space velocity ranging from 0.5 to 100 h?1, a temperature ranging from 500° C. to 1100° C. and a pressure ranging from 0.1 MPa to 5 Mpa in the absence of oxygen; recovering a second stream containing unconverted methane if any, ethylene and hydrocarbons having at least 2 carbon atoms. Said process is remarkable in that said catalyst is a synthetic zeolite material, containing at least one metal M with silicon to metal M molar ratio Si/M as determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry ranging from 100 to 65440 and in that said metal M is incorporated inside of the zeolite tetrahedral sites.