Synthesis of discrete aluminophosphate –CLO nanocrystals in a eutectic mixture

Extra-large-pore aluminophosphate –CLO (i.e., DNL-1) nanocrystals were synthesized in a eutectic mixture composed of diethylamine hydrochloride (DEAC) and ethylene glycol (EG) with 1-methylimidazole (1-MIm) as an additional amine using both conventional and microwave heating. The effects of the synthesis parameters, such as the amount of 1-MIm and the P/Al ratio, on the formation of DNL-1 nanocrystals were studied. The products were characterized using a variety of techniques. XRD, DLS, SEM and TEM results indicate that the as-synthesized DNL-1 nanocrystals have good crystallinity and narrow particle size distributions, and their average particle size was controlled in the 100–220 nm range by simply adjusting the amount of 1-MIm. TG–DSC and N2 adsorption analyses reveal that the as-synthesized DNL-1 nanocrystals exhibit good thermal stability and the calcined samples possess high BET surface areas and large pore volumes. In addition, the cooperative structure-directing effects of 1-MIm and the eutectic mixture cation (DEA+) in the formation of DNL-1 nanocrystals were discussed.