Linear coordination polymers based on aluminum phosphates: synthesis, crystal structure and morphology

Several aluminum tris(diorganophosphates) have been synthesized and characterized via elemental analysis, NMR, FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy, as well as powder XRD, and SEM. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the aluminum tris(diethylphosphate) crystal structure comprises two crystallographically nonequivalent catena-Al[O2P(OEt)2]3 chains propagating along the c-axis. Their parallel orientation favors the formation of closely packed hexagonal domains. PXRD data suggest that other homologues have a similar structure, with the interchain distance closely corresponding to the dimensions of organic ligands. They are also susceptible to a reversible dissociation to ionic species under the effect of primary amines. This feature can be utilized for the synthesis of epoxy nanocomposites.