Aluminum-Phosphate Binder Formation in Zeolites as Probed with X-ray Absorption Microscopy

In this work, three industrially relevant zeolites with framework topologies of MOR, FAU and FER have been explored on their ability to form an AlPO4 phase by reaction of a phosphate precursor with expelled framework aluminum. A detailed study was performed on zeolite H-mordenite, using in situ STXM and soft X-ray absorption tomography, complemented with Al-27 and P-31 magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) spectroscopy, XRD, FT-IR spectroscopy, and N-2 physisorption. Extraframework aluminum was extracted from steam-dealuminated H-mordenite and shown to dominantly consist of amorphous AlO(OH). It was found that phosphoric acid readily reacts with the AlO(OH) phase in dealuminated H-mordenite and forms an extraframework amorphous AlPO4 phase. It was found that while AlPO4 crystallizes outside of the zeolitic channel system forming AlPO4 islands, AlPO4 that remains inside tends to stay more amorphous. In the case of ultrastable zeolite Y the FAU framework collapsed during phosphatation, due to extraction of framework aluminum from the lattice. However, using milder phosphatation conditions an extraframework AlPO4 alpha-cristobalite/tridymite phase could also be produced within the FAU framework. Finally, in steamed zeolite ferrierite with FER topology the extraframework aluminum species were trapped and therefore not accessible for phosphoric acid; hence, no AlPO4 phase could be formed within the structure. Therefore, the parameters to be taken into account in AlPO4 synthesis are the framework Si/Al ratio, stability of framework aluminum, pore dimensionality and accessibility of extraframework aluminum species.