Hydrothermal synthesis, characterization, and thermal properties of alumino silicate azide sodalite, Na8[AlSiO4]6(N3)2

Abstract

First time we report the synthesis, structural characterization and thermal behavior of an unusual N₃⁻ containing alumino-silicate sodalite mineral. Azide sodalite, Na₈[AlSiO₄]₆(N₃)₂ has been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions at 433 K in steel lined Teflon autoclave. The structural and microstructural properties of azide sodalite mineral was characterized by various methods including FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TGA, and MAS NMR. Crystal structure have been refined by Rietveld method in \(P\bar 43n\) space group, indicating that the N₃⁻ sodalite has cubic in lattice. High temperature study was carried out to see the effect of thermal expansion on cell dimension (a^o) of azide sodalite. Thermal behavior of sodalite was also assessed by thermogravimetric method.