“…The Brønsted acid sites of SAPO-34 are attributed to the introduction of Si atoms into the neutral AlPO 4 -34 framework. From the viewpoints of the references [12][13][14][15][16], it is proposed that Si atoms incorporate into the AlPO 4 -34 structure by two different substitution mechanisms: the first, denoted as SM1, is that the Si substitution for phosphorus form Si(4Al) entities, which gives rise to negative charges for forming Brønsted acid sites; the second mechanism (SM2) is the double substitution of neighboring aluminum and phosphorus by two silicon atoms to form Si(nAl) (n ¼ 3-0) structures, which leads to the formation of stronger Brønsted acid sites. The structure, acidity and catalytic property of SAPO-34 depend on the number and distribution of Si in the framework [16][17][18], which is closely related to the synthesis process, i.e., to the crystallization and Si incorporation mechanisms.…”