A combination of experimental (diffuse reflectance infrared
Fourier transform spectroscopy, DRIFTS, and
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS) and ab initio studies of model
clusters is used to understand the
geometric and electronic structure of aluminophosphate (AlPO) systems
used as catalytic materials. The
presence of an intense IR band in the DRIFTS spectra, around 1300
cm-1, together with literature data
suggested
to represent the system using cluster models based on
metaphosphate-like structures. By varying the P/Al
atomic ratio the basic features of
AlPO4−Al2O3 catalysts are
modeled. The calculated geometrical parameters
(bond distances and associated stretch force constants) are discussed
in relation to the structure of the catalyst
and, despite the inherent approximations in modeling solids with
cluster models, fits quite well-the experimental
X-ray data for aluminum metaphosphate. The computed ionization
potentials (IP), OKVV transitions, and IR
spectra are in reasonable agreement with experimental data. The
observed trends in XPS, continuous decrease
of Al2p, and P2p and O1s binding
energies on decreasing the P/Al ratio are explained in terms of the
alteration
of the electronic density of the O atoms induced by the presence of Al
as second neighbor of the P atom. A
similar effect of this second neighbor lets us explain the modification
of the OKVV and DRIFTS data. As a
result of these studies a model for the short-range structure of
amorphous AlPO systems is proposed based
on metaphosphate anions conected by layers rich in aluminum with
γ-Al2O3-like structure.