Controlled Morphology Synthesis of Nanostructured β-AlF3-x(OH)x with Tunable Specific Surface Area

In this work, the synthesis of beta-AlF3-x(OH)(x) nanoparticles with very high specific surface area (SSA) using a microwave-assisted solvothermal process is reported. The influence of synthesis parameters on the morphology and SSA was investigated, and the nature of the solvent is shown to have the greatest impact. Five samples prepared using different solvent mixtures were deeply characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), N-2 sorption, powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and F-19 and Al-27 high-field solidstate NMR. Their SSAs range from 25 to 345 m(2).g(-1) with an associated OH content slightly increasing from approximate to 16% (AlF2.52(OH)(0.48)) to approximate to 19% (AlF2.42(OH)(0.58)), as estimated by TGA and Al-27 high-field solid-state NMR. Compared to previous reference work [Dambournet, D., et al. Chem. Mater. 2008, 204 1459-1469], beta-AlF3-x(OH)(x) nanoparticles with SSAs up to 4 times larger were obtained. TEM revealed the formation of hollow nanostructures except when the surface exceeds 300 m(2).g(-1), in which case isolated nanoparticles are observed. The sample with the highest SSA also displaying an appealing cumulative pore volume of 0.060 cm(3).g(-1), its hydrogen adsorption capability was evaluated to show that beta-AlF3-x(OH)(x) nanoparticles have a potential interest for hydrogen storage applications.

Automated summary

In this study, beta-AlF3-x(OH)(x) nanoparticles with very high specific surface area were synthesized using a microwave-assisted solvothermal process, where the nature of the solvent was found to have the greatest impact on the morphology and surface area. The nanoparticles exhibited a range of SSAs and OH contents, with the highest SSA sample showing potential for hydrogen storage applications.