Dimensionality changes in the solid phase at room temperature: 2D → 1D → 3D evolution induced by ammonia...

Area of Science:

• Solid-state chemistry
• Materials science
• Inorganic chemistry

Background:

• Metal phosphates are versatile materials with diverse structural possibilities.
• Controlling dimensionality in solid-state materials is crucial for tuning properties.
• Solid-gas interactions offer a pathway for reversible structural transformations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the structural transformation of a 2D zinc phosphate using solid-gas interactions.
• To explore the dimensionality change in metal phosphates at room temperature.
• To synthesize and characterize novel one-dimensional and three-dimensional zinc phosphate compounds.

Main Methods:

• Synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction for ab initio crystal structure solution.
• Controlled exposure to ammonia vapor to induce solid-gas interactions.
• Ammonia desorption experiments to observe structural reversibility.

Main Results:

• A two-dimensional NH4Zn2(PO4)(HPO4) transformed into a novel one-dimensional NH4Zn(NH3)PO4 via ammonia vapor interaction.
• Ammonia desorption from the 1D phase yielded NH4ZnPO4 with a known ABW-zeolitic topology.
• Structural analysis revealed changes in zinc coordination and dimensionality of linkages.

Conclusions:

• This work presents the first example of dimensionality change in solid-phase metal phosphates driven by room-temperature solid-gas interactions.
• The reversible transformation highlights the potential for designing responsive materials.
• The study expands the understanding of structural diversity in zinc phosphates.