Synthesis and proton conductivity of a new two-dimensional layered aluminophosphate [C9H14N]8[H2O]4·[Al8P12O48H4]

•A new kind of layered aluminophosphate framework with 8-ring channels was synthesized.•Fe and Co substituted layered aluminophosphates were synthesized.•Higher proton conductivity than most of zeolites reported immersed in water at room temperature.

A new two-dimensional layered aluminophosphate [C9H14N]8[H2O]4·[Al8P12O48H4] (denoted as AlPO-CJ70) has been synthesized by using N,N-dimethylbenzylamine as the template under solvothermal conditions at 403 K. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the structure of AlPO-CJ70 consists of AAAA-stacked Al2P3O123 − layers made of alternating AlO4 and PO4 (PO3(O) and PO2(O)(OH)) tetrahedra, forming 1D 8-ring channels along the [100] direction. The inorganic layer exhibits a new type of 4 × 6 × 8 sheets with the Al/P ratio of 2/3. Protonated N,N-dimethylbenzylamine cations are located between the layers compensating the negative charge of the anionic framework. The existence of guest water and extensive H-bonds in the structure endows AlPO-CJ70 with proton conduction properties, as elucidated by impedance studies of the powder sample.

Graphical abstractA layered aluminophosphate AlPO-CJ70 constructed by a new type of 4 × 6 × 8 sheets with the stoichiometry of Al2P3O123 − was synthesized under solvothermal conditions, which shows interesting conduction properties when immersed in water.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide