Cation exchange, interlayer spacing, and thermal analysis of Na/Ca-montmorillonite modified with alkaline and alkaline earth metal ions

Na-montmorillonites were exchanged with Li⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, Cs⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, and Ba²⁺, while Ca-montmorillonites were treated with alkaline and alkaline earth ions except for Ra²⁺ and Ca²⁺. Montmorillonites with interlayer cations Li⁺ or Na⁺ have remarkable swelling capacity and keep excellent stability. It is shown that metal ions represent different exchange ability as follows: Cs⁺?>?Rb⁺?>?K⁺?>?Na⁺?>?Li⁺ and Ba²⁺?>?Sr²⁺?>?Ca²⁺?>?Mg²⁺. The cation exchange capacity with single ion exchange capacity illustrates that Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ do not only take part in cation exchange but also produce physical adsorption on the montmorillonite. Although interlayer spacing d ₀₀₁ depends on both radius and hydration radius of interlayer cations, the latter one plays a decisive role in changing d ₀₀₁ value. Three stages of temperature intervals of dehydration are observed from the TG/DSC curves: the release of surface water adsorbed (36?C84?°C), the dehydration of interlayer water and the chemical-adsorption water (47?C189?°C) and dehydration of bound water of interlayer metal cation (108?C268?°C). Data show that the quantity and hydration energy of ions adsorbed on montmorillonite influence the water content in montmorillonite. Mg²⁺-modified Na-montmorillonite which absorbs the most quantity of ions with the highest hydration energy has the maximum water content up to 8.84%.     

十六烷基三甲基溴化铵插层氧化石墨结构的分子模拟

利用分子模拟方法研究了十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(C₁₆TAB)分子数对C₁₆TAB/GO插层复合物的结构变化,探讨了C₁₆TAB在GO层间的排列方式,并通过实验数据进行验证.模拟结果表明,优化后GO结构模型的层间距为0.849 nm;C₁₆TAB/GO插层复合物的层间距随着C₁₆TAB分子数的增加呈5个阶梯状逐渐增大,层间距分别为1.56、1.98、2.33、2.76和3.40 nm,插层饱和时C₁₆TAB分子达到28个.实验结果显示,随着C₁₆TAB分子数的增加,C₁₆TAB/GO插层复合物的层间距逐渐增大,插层饱和时为3.40 nm,实验结果与模拟结果能够很好地吻合.C₁₆TAB在GO层间可能的排列方式为1~5层平躺排列或单层平躺、单层倾斜和单层直立,从能量和结构的角度探明了C₁₆TAB在GO层间的最优排列为1~5层平躺排列.     

十六烷基三甲基溴化铵插层氧化石墨结构的分子模拟

利用分子模拟方法研究了十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(C16TAB)分子数对C16TAB/GO插层复合物的结构变化,探讨了C16TAB在GO层间的排列方式,并通过实验数据进行验证。模拟结果表明,优化后GO结构模型的层间距为0.849 nm;C16TAB/GO插层复合物的层间距随着C16TAB分子数的增加呈5个阶梯状逐渐增大,层间距分别为1.56、1.98、2.33、2.76和3.40 nm,插层饱和时C16TAB分子达到28个。实验结果显示,随着C16TAB分子数的增加,C16TAB/GO插层复合物的层间距逐渐增大,插层饱和时为3.40 nm,实验结果与模拟结果能够很好地吻合。C16TAB在GO层间可能的排列方式为1~5层平躺排列或单层平躺、单层倾斜和单层直立,从能量和结构的角度探明了C16TAB在GO层间的最优排列为1~5层平躺排列。     

Thermal analysis of some organoclays

Thermogravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) curves of methyltributylammonium smectite (MTBAS), methyltrioctylammonium smectite (MTOAS), and di(hydrogenatedtallow)dimethylammonium smectite (DHTDMAS), and also corresponding sodium smectite (NaS) and tetraalkylammonium chlorides (TAAC) were determined. The TAACs was decomposed exactly by heating up to 500°C. The adsorbed water content of 8.0% in the pure NaS was decreased down to 0.2% depending on the size of the non-polar alkyl groups in the tetraalkylammonium cations (TAA⁺). The thermal degradation of the organic partition nanophase formed between 2:1 layers of smectite occurs between 250–500°C. Activation energies (E) of the thermal degradations in the MTBAS, MTOAS and DHTDMAS are 13.4, 21.9, and 43.5 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. The E value increases by increasing of the interlayer spacing along a curve depending on the size of the alkyl groups in the TAA⁺.     

Delamination of Na-montmorillonite particles in aqueous solutions and isopropanol under shear forces

Delamination of montmorillonite (Na-MMT) is an outstanding property of the dispersed MMT particles. Na-MMT particles delaminated in water and isopropanol under shear forces have been studied in this work. The difference in the intercalation and delamination of Na-MMT by water and isopropanol was studied by molecule dynamic simulation and experiment. Molecule dynamic simulation was carried out on Material Studio (MS) 8.0. The experimental study was performed on a Na-MMT through the measurements of Stokes size, optical size, scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope, and dynamic molecule simulation. The results demonstrated that under the effect of interlayer hydration, the Na⁺ that resides near the siloxane surface was moved to the middle plane of interlayer space, and the interlayer spacing was opened 1.38A. Compared with the interlayer hydration, the interlayer spacing was increased only a little (0.32A) treated by isopropanol; meanwhile, the interlayer sheets were joined together by isopropanol molecule. Because of that the effect of water and isopropanol in the interlayer of Na-MMT was totally different, the Na-MMT particles were indeed delaminated into plate-like super fine particles in water instead of in isopropanol, and delamination was closely correlated with shear force only if hydration was occurred in the interlayer.     

Molecular simulation of the interlayer structure and the mobility of alkyl chains in HDTMA+/montmorillonite hybrids

Molecular simulation techniques are used to find the basal spacing of organoclay on the basis of the energy minimum, using the canonical NVT ensemble. Then, the interlayer structure and mobility of alkyl chains are explored based on the interlayer atomic density profiles. Besides the basic lateral-monolayer arrangement, lateral-bilayer accompanied by partial a pseudo-trilayer and a transition structure between the two basic lateral models are observed. The later provides an excellent explanation about the reflection at 16 angstroms on XRD patterns in the literature. The atomic density profiles reveal that nitrogen atoms show stronger layering behavior than carbon atoms do. Our simulation demonstrates that the molecular mobility of the confined alkyl chains decreases from lateral-monolayer to lateral-bilayer with the increase of the intercalated surfactant. This is in accordance with the suggestion deduced from experiments. Furthermore, our simulation indicates that the mobility of the alkyl chains strongly depends on the surfactant arrangement rather than the surfactant packing density.     

Bonding mechanisms and conformation of poly(ethylene oxide)-based surfactants in interlayer of smectite

A better understanding of the interactions between poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based nonionic surfactants and smectite is important to fully comprehend the transport and the fate of nonionic surfactants in the environment and to design novel organo-clay composites. We studied the bonding between the surfactants and smectite and the molecular conformations of the surfactants in the interlayer of smectite. A reference polymer PEG and three nonionic surfactants—Brij 56, Brij 700, and PE-PEG—were intercalated into a smectite. The polymers and the composites were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The XRD and FT-IR results indicate that the bulk surfactants existed as crystalline materials at room temperature, and surfactant molecules had both helical/extended diblock and planar zigzag conformations. The surfactants intercalated smectite and expanded the d(001) spacing of smectite to nearly 1.8 nm. The shapes and positions of the IR bands of interlayer surfactants were similar to those of the melted (amorphous) bulk polymers: the wagging vibrations of the CH₂ merged to a single band at 1,350 cm⁻¹, the twisting bands of CH₂ had 9 cm⁻¹ or more blue shifts. These changes imply that the PEO segments of the surfactants existed with a distorted and extended conformation in the interlayer of smectite, and this extended conformation was an intermediate form of the helical and planar zigzag conformations. The molecular conformation of the interlayer surfactant was not affected by the seven types of exchangeable cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and H⁺) tested. There were 20 cm⁻¹ or more red shifts from the C–O–C stretching bands when the surfactants were adsorbed. The red shifts suggest that surfactants were bonded to smectite mainly through (1) H-bonding between oxygen atoms of the PEO segments and water molecules in hydration shells of the exchangeable cations, and (2) direct coordination or ion–dipole interaction between the oxygen atoms of the PEO segments and the exchangeable cations. With the extended conformation, the oxygen atoms of the PEO segments have maximum exposure to the bonding water molecules and exchangeable cations.     

Thermal characterization of montmorillonite clays saturated with various cations

Emanation thermal analysis (ETA), thermogravimetry and high temperature XRD were used to characterize the thermal behavior during dehydration of natural Na montmorillonite (Upton Wyoming, USA) and homoionic montmorillonite (MMT) samples saturated with different cations, i.e. Li⁺, Cs⁺, NH₄⁺, Mg²⁺ and Al³⁺. ETA results characterized radon mobility and microstructure changes that accompanied the mass loss of the samples due to dehydration on heating in air. A collapse of interlayer space between the silicate sheets after water release from the MMT samples was characterized by a decrease of the radon release rate, ΔE. Decreases in c-axis basal spacing (d ₀₀₁) values determined from XRD patterns for the different montmorillonite samples follow the sequence:

Formability and properties of self-standing clay film by montmorillonite with different interlayer cations

Influences of exchangeable interlayer cations were investigated on self-standing film formability, film morphology, and properties of the clay films such as flexibility and gas barrier property. Ion-exchanged montmorillonite samples were prepared by a cation exchange from naturally bearing cation, mostly Na⁺, to Li⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Al³⁺, and Fe^{2+, 3+}. Self-standing films were prepared from aqueous colloidal dispersions of these montmorillonite samples with no additives. The montmorillonite samples with monovalent or divalent cation formed flat self-standing films while the Al-montmorillonite sample produced a distorted film. The Fe-montmorillonite sample formed many separated reddish-brown rod-shaped pieces. Clay film microstructures were different with interlayer cations. The films with monovalent interlayer cations were constructed by the stacking of units with delicately waved thin clay sheets in the whole film, but other films show different morphologies between the upper side and lower side; the upper side is laminated with thin sheets; the lower side is laminated with large thick sheets.The self-standing films’ flexibility and gas barrier property differed according to the interlayer cations. These properties were good in cases of samples with monovalent cations. The innumerable short wave and sheet thinness are considered to foster good flexibility and gas barrier properties. The differences in film formability and properties of the films are attributable to different swellability among samples with different interlayer cations. The montmorillonite samples with monovalent cations swell sufficiently by water, but those with polyvalent cations swell poorly. In the latter case, clay crystals aggregate in water, then the aggregate grows into large particles, creating a film with large particles.     

A new mixed valence VIV–V and Li phyllosilicate: swelling,magnetic and conductive properties

This paper presents the synthesis and characterisation of a new V–Li phyllosilicate, Li₂V_0.95Si₄O₁₀(OH)_1.24F_0.76, under hydrothermal conditions. Part of the alkali is located in the interlayer spacing while the rest occupies the octahedral layer together with V^IV and V^V. This silicate exhibits a mixed valence character and different properties, such as ferromagnetic order at low temperature, ionic conductivity and swelling upon exposure to moisture atmosphere. Thus, the basal spacing increases from 12.3 to 16.3 Å.     

Pre-intercalation of Ammonium Ions in Layered δ-MnO2 Nanosheets for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries

Layered manganese dioxide is a promising cathode candidate for aqueous Zn-ion batteries. However, the narrow interlayer spacing, inferior intrinsic electronic conductivity and poor structural stability still limit its practical application. Herein, we report a two-step strategy to incorporate ammonium ions into manganese dioxide (named as AMO) nanosheets as a cathode for boosted Zn ion storage. K⁺-intercalated δ-MnO₂ nanosheets (KMO) grown on carbon cloth are chosen as the self-involved precursor. Of note, ammonium ions could replace K⁺ ions via a facile hydrothermal reaction to enlarge the lattice space and form hydrogen-bond networks. Compared with KMO, the structural stability and the ion transfer kinetics of the layered AMO are enhanced. As expected, the obtained AMO cathode exhibits remarkable electrochemical properties in terms of high reversible capacity, decent rate performance and superior cycling stability over 10000 cycles.     

Effect of different dimethylphenols on the interactions with Ni2+-exchanged montmorillonite

The influence of different steric and electronic properties of 2,4-; 2,5-; and 3,5- dimethylphenols (2,4-; 2,5-; and 3,5- DMP, respectively) on Ni²⁺-montmorillonite (Ni²⁺-MMT) (I) were studied. The results of X-ray diffraction show that the observed changes of the basal spacing were due to the intercalation of phenol derivatives into the interlayer space of montmorillonite. The existence of one peak at ~1,633 cm^?1 in the IR spectra of sample Ni²⁺-MMT + 2,4-DMP (II) and Ni²⁺-MMT + 2,5-DMP (III) and shift of this peaks to higher frequency indicate that 2,4-DMP and 2,5-DMP exist in the interlayer space of Ni²⁺-MMT in the protonated form. The two bands at ~1,622 and 1,597 cm^?1 in the sample Ni²⁺-MMT + 3,5-DMP (IV) indicate that 3,5-DMP may be also directly coordinated to Ni²⁺ cations. The different interactions of phenol derivatives in the silicate interlayers will be connected with different position of methyl groups on the phenol ring.     

Preparation of Mg–Al layered double hydroxides intercalated with alkyl sulfates and investigation of their capacity to take up N,N-dimethylaniline from aqueous solutions

This study examined the effect of the interlayer spacing of a Mg–Al layered double hydroxide (Mg–Al LDH) on the ability of the Mg–Al LDH to take up a nonionic organic material. Mg–Al LDHs, intercalated with 1-propanesulfonate (PS^?), 1-hexanesulfonate (HS^?), and 1-dodecanesulfonate (DS^?), were prepared by coprecipitation, yielding PS·Mg–Al LDH, HS·Mg–Al LDH, and DS·Mg–Al LDH, respectively. The increase in the alkyl chain lengths of the Mg–Al LDHs (PS^? < HS^? < DS^?) resulted in the perpendicular orientation of the organic acid anions in the interlayer of Mg–Al LDH, which in turn resulted in more organic acid anions being accommodated in the interlayer space. An organic acid anion with a large molecular length was more easily intercalated in the interlayer of Mg–Al LDH than one with a small molecular length. This was attributed to the hydrophobic interaction between the alkyl chains, affecting the intercalation of the organic acid anions. The uptake of N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) by Mg–Al LDHs increased in the order PS·Mg–Al LDH < HS·Mg–Al LDH < DS·Mg–Al LDH. The uptake was attributed to the hydrophobic interactions between DMA and the intercalated PS^?, HS^?, and DS^?. Thus, Mg–Al LDH, which has a lot of large interlayer spacings when intercalated with organic acid anions, can take up a large number of DMA molecules from an aqueous solution.     

The intercalation of cetyltrimethylammonium cations into muscovite by a two-step process: I. The ion exchange of the interlayer cations in muscovite with Li

A new method to prepare alkylammonium ions-intercalated muscovite is reported. It has been obtained in a two-step process: the first step is the inorganic ion exchange, which allows the ion exchange of interlayer cations in muscovite with Li⁺ in a melting condition of LiNO₃. It was found that in the LiNO₃ treatment process most of the interlayer cations were replaced by Li⁺, and a large amount of water entered the interlayer space of muscovite. Therefore the spacing of muscovite (001) plane d₍₀₀₁₎ was enlarged from 19.92 to 24.16 Å, which could allow for the intercalation of organic cations. SEM shows that the LiNO₃ treatments have little effect on the size of muscovite platelets. TEM and FTIR confirm that not only the chemical composition but also the structure of the aluminosilicate layer has not been changed by the LiNO₃ treatments.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Physicochemical Properties of Hydrophobic Pyridinium‐based Ionic Liquids with N‐Propyl and N‐Isopropyl

Synthesis and physicochemical properties of four pyridinium‐based ionic liquids (ILs), N‐propylpyridinium bromide [N‐propylPyr]⁺[Br]^–, N‐isopropylpyridinium bromide [N‐isopropylPyr]⁺[Br]^–, N‐propylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate [N‐propylPyr]⁺[PF₆]^–, and N‐isopropylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate [N‐isopropylPyr]⁺[PF₆]^– are reported. The molecular structures of these compounds were characterized by FT‐IR, ¹H, ¹⁹F, and ³¹P NMR, spectroscopy. The thermal properties, conductivity, and solubility of these ionic liquids were also investigated. The effects of propyl and isopropyl alkyl lateral chain at the N‐position of pyridinium cation on the thermal stability, conductivity, and solubility of ionic liquids are discussed. The results obtained confirmed that the ionic liquids based on pyridinium cations exhibit higher decomposition temperature, low melting points, immiscible with water, and their conductivities are mainly influenced by mobility of ions.     

Theoretical study of low‐lying electronic states of the LiRb+ molecular ion: Structure,spectroscopy and transition dipole moments

The electronic structure and the spectroscopic properties for low‐lying electronic states of the LiRb⁺ molecular ion, dissociating into Li (2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 3d, 4s, and 4p) + Rb⁺ and Li⁺ + Rb (5s, 5p, 4d, 6s, 6p, 5d, and 7s), have been investigated using an ab initio approach based on non‐empirical pseudo potentials for the Li and Rb cores and parametrized l‐dependent polarization potential. We have determined the adiabatic potential energy curves and their spectroscopic constants for many electronic states of ²Σ⁺, ²Π, and ²Δ symmetries. A satisfying agreement, for the spectroscopic constants, has been obtained for the ground and the first excited states with the available theoretical works. Potential energy curves were presented, for the first time, for the higher excited states. In addition, we have localised and analysed the avoided crossings between electronic states of ²Σ⁺ and ²Π symmetries. Their existences can be related to the interaction between the potential energy curves and to the charge transfer process between the two ionic systems Li⁺Rb and LiRb⁺. Moreover, we have determined the transition dipole moments from X²Σ⁺ and 2²Σ⁺ states to higher excited states of ²Σ⁺ and ²Π symmetries. For our best knowledge, no experimental data on the LiRb⁺ molecular ion is available. These theoretical data can help experimentalists to optimize photoassociative formation of ultracold LiRb⁺ molecular ion and their longevity in a trap or in an optical lattice. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012     

Structural Effect on Electron Impact Decomposition of 1, 3- and 1, 4-Cyclohexane Dinitrites

Alkyl dinitrites have attracted attention as an important type of nitrosating agent and a pollution source in atmosphere. The reactivity and chemistry of alkyl dinitrites induced by the two ONO functional groups are relatively unknown. In this work, decompositions of 1, 3-cyclohexane dinitrite and 1, 4-cyclohexane dinitrite are studied by electron impact ionization mass spectroscopy (EI-MS). Apart from NO⁺ ($m/z$=30), fragment ions $m/z$=43 and 71 are the most abundant for the 1, 3-isomer. On the other hand, fragments $m/z$=29, 57, 85, and 97 stand out in the EI-MS spectrum of 1, 4-isomer. Possible dissociation mechanisms of the two dinitrites are proposed by theoretical calculations. The results reveal that the ring-opening of 1, 3-cyclohexane dinitrite mainly starts from the intermediate ion (M-NO)⁺ by cleavage of two $\alpha$C-$\beta$C bonds. For 1, 4-cyclohexane dinitrite, in addition to the decomposition via intermediate (M-NO)⁺, cleavage of $\beta$C-$\beta$C bonds can occur directly from the parent cation M⁺. The results will help to understand the structural related chemistry of alkyl dinitrites in atmosphere and in NO transfer process.     

Electron impact,electron capture negative ionization and positive chemical ionization mass spectra of organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers

Phosphate esters are important commercial products that have been used both as flame retardants and as plasticizers. To analyze these compounds by gas chromatographic mass spectrometry, it is important to understand the mass spectra of these compounds using various ionization modes. This paper is a systematic overview of the electron impact (EI), electron capture negative ionization (ECNI) and positive chemical ionization (PCI) mass spectra of 13 organophosphate esters. These data are useful for developing and optimizing analytical measurements. The EI spectra of these 13 compounds are dominated by ions such as H₄PO₄⁺, (M ? Cl)⁺, (M ? CH₂Cl)⁺ or (M)⁺ depending on specific chemical structures. The ECNI spectra are generally dominated by (M ? R)^?. The PCI spectra are mainly dominated by the protonated molecular ion (M + H)⁺. The branching of the alkyl substituents, the halogenation of the substituents and, for aromatic phosphate esters, ortho alkylation of the ring are all significant factors controlling the details of the fragmentation processes. EI provides the best sensitivity for the quantitative measurement of these compounds, but PCI and ECNI both have considerable qualitative selectivity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dependence of the Properties of 2D Nanocomposites Generated by Covalent Crosslinking of Nanosheets on the Interlayer Separation: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study

Covalently cross-linked heterostructures of 2D materials are a new class of materials which possess electrochemical and photochemical hydrogen evolution properties. It was of considerable interest to investigate the role of interlayer spacing in the nanocomposites involving MoS₂ and graphene sheets and its control over electronic structures and catalytic properties. We have investigated this problem with emphasis on the hydrogen evolution properties of these structures by a combined experimental and theoretical study. We have linked MoS₂ based nanocomposites with other 2D materials with varying interlayer spacing by changing the linker and studied their hydrogen evolution properties. The hydrogen evolution activity for these composites decreases with increasing linker length, which we can link to a decrease in magnitude of charge transfer across the layers with increasing interlayer spacing. Factors such as the nature of the sheets, interlayer distance as well as the nature of the linker provide pathways to tune the properties of covalently cross-linked 2D material rendering this new class of materials highly interesting.     

Thermal study of polypyrrole complexes with vermiculites of different layer charge

We have studied the synthesis of polypyrrole-clay nanocomposites by the in situ oxidative polymerization of pyrrole in the interlayer space of vermiculites with different layer charges from Santa Olalla and Ojén, Spain. Moreover, the influence of different interlayer cations (Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Fe³⁺) on the interaction between pyrrole and the vermiculties was studied. The resulting materials were characterized by means of DTA-TG, XRD, FTIR and Mössbauer spectroscopy. In all samples polymerization of pyrrole was observed, presumably triggered by the structural iron. In most cases it was found to be externally deposited. An uptake of pyrrole in the interlayer space and PPy formation is observed in the case of the Fe³⁺-intercalated Ojén vermiculite, which has a lower layer charge than the Santa Olalla vermiculite.