Molecular sieves and zeolites are materials whose crystalline frameworks form nanometre or subnanometre pores. A variety of different crystal structures are known having a range of pore sizes. Because the pore sizes are usually smaller than 2 nm, they are classified as microporous materials. Although microporous materials have ordered structures over the nanometre scale, they do not typically have ordered structures at larger dimensions. Crystals with a well-defined morphology and a small size distribution can be used as building blocks for generating complex structures by particle assembly techniques. Synthesis of microporous materials is usually conducted by a high temperature treatment (80-200 oC) of aqueous synthesis gels. The process of heating aqueous mixtures to elevated temperatures for crystallization is typically described as hydrothermal synthesis. The raw materials for synthesis of microporous materials include silicon and aluminum containing precursors, an organic structure directing agent (SDA), and a fluoride-containing mineralizing agent. AlPO4-5 nano-zeolite has been synthesized via a hydrothermal technique. The crystals have been structurally characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). The effect of crystallization temperature and duration on morphology of the powder have been studied.

Keywords: Nano-Zeolite, AlPO4-5, Synthesis, Characterization, Temperature, Duration