This review presents the main characteristics and properties of microporous (zeolites) and ordered mesoporous materials, focusing on structural aspects and preparation. In addition, their use as heterogeneous catalysts are also discussed, with emphasis on their advantages and disadvantages. Due to difficulty in application of zeolites in the conversion of bulky molecules, the most relevant strategies of synthesis for the preparation of zeolitic materials with hierarchical pore structure was also analyzed, which allow this limitation to be overcome.
