Ionothermal synthesis of phase pure AlPO4-5 using a series of tri-substituted imidazolium bromides

•Phase pure AlPO4-5 molecular sieves were ionothermally synthesized.•A series of tri-substituted imidazolium bromide ionic liquids (ILs) were used.•The obtained AlPO4-5 possessed different morphologies depending on the IL used.

The ionothermal synthesis of phase pure AlPO4-5 was achieved using a series of tri-substituted imidazolium bromides (1-ethyl-, 1-butyl- and 1-hexyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium bromides [EMMIMBr, BMMIMBr and HMMIMBr]). 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements revealed that the cations of the ionic liquids were incorporated into the final structures. It was also found that the morphologies of the samples varied with the types of IL used. The possible reason for the different morphologies was that the decreasing charge density gradually weakened the interaction between the AlPO4–AFI framework and the IL cation, with an increase in the alkyl chain length.

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