Synthesis and characterization of Si/Ga Eni Carbon Silicates

Abstract Phenylene-gallosilicates were prepared with the same crystalline structure as their aluminum analogues. The new Ga-Eni Carbon Silicates (Ga-ECS) phases were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and thermogravimetric analysis, which demonstrated that gallium isomorphously replaced aluminum in the framework of the organic-inorganic hybrids similar to the case of classical zeolites. Hybrid ECS materials were obtained with different types of bridged silsesquioxane precursors that maintained the aluminum-silicate nature of the inorganic moiety. This work confirms a new level of crystal chemistry versatility for this class of materials, and demonstrates the possibility to tailor also the inorganic part of the framework by changing the nature of the trivalent heteroatom.