Minimalistic Liquid-Assisted Route to Highly Crystalline α-Zirconium Phosphate

Zirconium phosphates have potential applications in areas of ion exchange, catalysis, photochemistry, and biotechnology. However, synthesis methodologies to form crystalline alpha-zirconium phosphate (Zr(HPO4)(2)center dot H2O) typically involve the use of excess phosphoric acid, addition of HF or oxalic acid and long reflux times or hydrothermal conditions. A minimalistic sustainable route to its synthesis has been developed by using only zirconium oxychloride and concentrated phosphoric acid to form highly crystalline alpha-zirconium phosphate within hours. The morphology can be changed from platelets to rod-shaped particles by fluoride addition. By varying the temperature and time, alpha-zirconium phosphate with particle sizes from nanometers to microns can be obtained. Key features of this minimal solvent synthesis are the excellent yields obtained with high atom economy under mild conditions and ease of scalability.