Stabilization of Co in layered double hydroxides (LDHs) by microwave-assisted ageing

Co-containing layered double hydroxides at different pH have been prepared, and aged following different routes. The solids prepared have been characterized by element chemical analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses (both in nitrogen and in oxygen), FT-IR and Vis-UV spectroscopies, temperature-programmed reduction and surface area assessment by nitrogen adsorption at −196 °C. The best conditions found to preserve the cobalt species in the divalent oxidation state are preparing the samples at controlled pH, and then submit them to ageing under microwave irradiation.     

Hydrophobic layered double hydroxides (LDHs): Selective adsorbents for liquid mixtures

 The external and internal surface area of the calcium aluminum double hydroxide [Ca₂Al(OH)₆] NO₃ ⋅ 2H₂O were hydrophobized by the anionic surfactants sodium dodecylsulfate and sodium dodecyl-benzene sulfonate. The adsorption behavior towards liquid mixtures (benzene/n-heptane and n-propanol/ toluene) was studied by determining the surface excess adsorption isotherms, the heats of immersion in these liquids, and the basal spacing, i.e. the expansion of the interlayer space. Both hydrophobic layered double hydroxides (LDHs) adsorbed n-hep-tane, benzene, toluene, and n-pro-panol between the layers with considerable increase of the basal spacing. Interlamellar swelling of the hydrophobizised LDHs in n-heptane was fundamentally different to the behavior of hydrophobized 2 : 1 clay minerals (smectites, vermiculites). The surface excess isotherms for benzene/ heptane mixtures were U-shaped and indicate preferential adsorption of benzene. Dodecylbenzene sulfonate double hydroxide preferentially adsorbed propanol from n-propanol/ toluene mixtures but the dodecyl-sulfate derivative adsorbed both compounds. Received: 23 January 1997 Accepted: 10 February 1997     

Preparation and characterization of polystyrene (PS)/layered double hydroxides (LDHs) composite by a heterocoagulation method

Polystyrene (PS)/layered double hydroxides (LDHs) composites were prepared for the first time from LDHs aqueous suspension and PS emulsion by electrostatic assembly. The morphology characterization based on XRD and TEM showed that the LDHs were partially exfoliated in PS matrix. By using a reactive emulsifier, i.e., sodium 2-hydroxyl-3-(methacryloxy)propane-1-sulfonate (HMPS), which was able to copolymerize with styrene, a strong polymer-LDHs platelets interaction was achieved. The glass transition temperature (T _g ) of the composites was measured by DSC and DMA. The results showed that a strong polymer-LDHs platelets interaction played a dominant role in affecting the mobility of polymer chains, i.e., the T _g . With a strong interaction, PS-HMPS/LDHs composite showed a significant enhancement in T _g while a slight increase in T _g was observed for PS-SDS (PS prepared by emulsion polymerization using sodium dodecyl sulfate as emulsifier)/LDHs composite with a weak interaction. The addition of LDHs improved the thermal stability of PS, and the improvement depended on the dispersion of the LDHs platelets.     

Thermally induced polytype transformations among the layered double hydroxides (LDHs) of Mg and Zn with Al

The hydrotalcite-like layered double hydroxide (LDH) of Mg with Al shows dramatic changes in the peaks arising from the (h0l)/(0kl) family of reflections in its powder X-ray diffraction pattern during thermal treatment. DIFFaX simulations show that these changes arise due to the transformation of the disordered 3R1 polytype into the 1H polytype on dehydration. The 1H polytype is an essential precursor to the decomposition reaction, which results in the formation of an oxide residue with the rock salt structure. In contrast, the LDH of Zn with Al does not undergo any such transformation, retaining the structure of the 3R1 polytype until decomposition into the oxide residue. Given the poor octahedral site preference of the Zn2+ ion, the 1H polytype is neither structurally stable nor is it topochemically necessary for the thermal decomposition of the Zn-Al LDH, the end product of the decomposition reaction being an oxide with the wurtzite structure.     

Preparation of stable dispersions of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) in nonpolar hydrocarbons: new routes to polyolefin/LDH nanocomposites

We report a simple and cost effective solvent treatment method for the synthesis of a stable and transparent dispersion of the hydrophilic layered double hydroxide, [Mg(6)Al(2)(OH)(16)](CO(3)) in non-polar hydrocarbon solvents. This dispersion can be used to make polyolefin/LDH nanocomposites using a simple solvent mixing method.     

Thermal evolution of V(III)-containing layered double hydroxides

A study is reported on the thermal evolution of Mg, V layered double hydroxides with interlayer carbonate anions and different Mg/V molar ratios (from 1 to 4). Decomposition in O₂ occurs at lower temperature than that in N₂; the stability of the layered structure decreases as the V content increases. Oxidation of layer V³⁺ cations occurs in the same temperature range as dehydroxylation and decarbonation. The nature of the crystalline phases formed upon calcination at high temperatures strongly depends on the Mg/V molar ratio in the initial solid.     

Separation of nucleoside monophosphates using preferential anion exchange intercalation in layered double hydroxides

We report the first example of selective intercalation of nucleoside monophosphates in a layered host material. The intercalated nucleoside monophosphates can then be quantitatively recovered from the inorganic host and so this opens up the possibility of using simple layered inorganic hosts as rapid, cost effective and recyclable materials for the purification and separation of complex biomolecules.     

Conservation of order, disorder, and "crystallinity" during anion-exchange reactions among layered double hydroxides (LDHs) of Zn with Al

Carbonate and chloride ions mediate an ordered stacking of metal hydroxide slabs to yield ordered layered double hydroxides (LDHs) of Zn with Al, by virtue of their ability to occupy crystallographically well-defined interlayer sites. Other anions such as ClO(4)- (T(d)), BrO(3)- (C(3v)), and NO(3)- (coordination symmetry C(2v)) whose symmetry does not match the symmetry of the interlayer sites (D(3h) or O(h)) introduce a significant number of stacking faults, leading to turbostratic disorder. SO(4)(2-) ions (coordination symmetry C(3v)) alter the long-range stacking of the metal hydroxide slabs to nucleate a different polytype. The degree of disorder is also affected by the method of synthesis. Anion-exchange reactions yield a solid with a greater degree of order if the incoming ion is a CO3(2-) or Cl-. Incoming NO(3)- ions yield an interstratified phase, whereas incoming SO(4)(2-) ions generate turbostratic disorder. Conservation or its converse, elimination, of stacking disorders during anion exchange is the net result of several competing factors such as (i) the orientation of the hydroxyl groups in the interlayer region, (ii) the symmetry of the interlayer sites, (iii) the symmetry of the incoming ion, and (iv) the configuration of the anion. These short-range interactions ultimately affect the long-range stacking order or "crystallinity" of the LDH.     

Homogeneous precipitation of layered Ni(II)-Cr(III) double hydroxides

An adequate account of the hydrolytic properties of Cr3+ and Ni2+ allows setting the conditions for homogeneous nucleation of layered Ni(II)-Cr(III) double hydroxides; water exchange and hydrolysis rate constants indicate that, at very high rates of base dosing, formation of heteronuclear Cr(III)-Ni(II) hydroxo species should prevail over precipitation of active Cr(OH)3. This is realized by the urea method under microwave-assisted hydrothermal conditions. This approach yields crystalline Ni1-xCrx(OH)2(CO3)x/2nH2O (x approximately 0.32-0.36) in less than 5 min at 453 K; higher degrees of crystallinity are obtained at higher temperatures and/or longer aging times. Formation of Ni(II)-Cr(III) LDHs upon microwave-assisted hydrothermal aging of freshly coprecipitated Ni(OH)2+Cr(OH)3 mixtures takes longer, due to a different operating mechanism. The implications of the advanced rationale for the design of synthesis procedures are stressed. It is proposed that homogeneous nucleation of Ni(II)-Cr(III) LDHs involves the edge-on condensation of planar heteronuclear Cr(III)-Ni(II) hydroxo trimers. Ordered aggregation of primary particles leads to the final platelet crystals, a process that involves the exchange of CO2-(3) ions dangling at the crystallites' edges by bridging OH-.     

Synthesis and characterization of new Mg(2)Al-paratungstate layered double hydroxides

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs, or hydrotalcites) with Mg(2+) and Al(3+) cations in the mixed metal hydroxide layer and paratungstate anions in the interlayer have been prepared. Different methods have been followed: anion exchange with Mg,Al LDHs originally containing nitrate or adipate, reconstruction of the LDH structure from a mildly calcined Mg(2)Al-CO(3) LDH, and coprecipitation. In all cases, the tungsten precursor salt was (NH(4))(10)H(2)W(12)O(42). The prepared solids have been characterized by elemental chemical analysis, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), FT-IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric (TG) and differential thermal (DTA) analyses, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with EDX (energy-dispersive X-ray analysis), and nitrogen adsorption at -196 degrees C for surface area and surface texture. Most of the synthesis methods used, especially anion exchange starting from a Mg(2)Al-NO(3) precursor at low temperature and short reaction times, lead to formation of a hydrotalcite with a gallery height of 9.8 A; increasing the reaction temperature to 70-100 degrees C and maintaining short contact times leads to a solid with a gallery height of 7.8 A. Both phases have been identified as a result of the intercalation of W(7)O(24)(6)(-) species in different orientations in the interlayer space. If the time of synthesis or the temperature is increased, a more stable phase, with a gallery height of 5.2 A corresponding to a solid with intercalated W(7)O(24)(6)(-), is formed, probably with grafting of the interlayer anion on the brucite-like layers. All systems are microporous. Calcination at 300 degrees C leads to amorphous species, and crystallized MgWO(4) is observed at 700 degrees C.     

Polytypism, disorder, and anion exchange properties of divalent ion (Zn, Co) containing bayerite-derived layered double hydroxides

Incorporation of Zn(2+) into bayerite results in the formation of a cation-ordered layered double hydroxide (LDH) of monoclinic symmetry in which about half the vacancies of Al(OH)(3) are occupied by Zn(2+) giving rise to positively charged layers. Charge compensation takes place by the incorporation of sulfate ions in the interlayer region. Structure refinement reveals that the adjacent layers in the crystal are related by a 2(1) axis (we call it 2M(1) polytype) with sulfate coordinating in the D(2d) symmetry in the interlayer region. Another polytype in which adjacent layers are related by a 2-fold axis (2M(2) polytype) can also be envisaged. Faulted crystals arising from intergrowths of the 2M(2) polytype within the 2M(1) structure were also obtained. These bayerite-based LDHs have a distinctly different interlayer chemistry when compared to the better known brucite-based LDHs, in that they have a strong affinity for tetrahedral ions such as SO(4)(2-), CrO(4)(2-), and MoO(4)(2-) and a poor affinity for CO(3)(2-) ions. These observations have implications for the use of LDHs in applications related to chromate sorption.     

Photoactive oriented films of layered double hydroxides

The treatment of nano-ordered oriented films of layered double hydroxide (LDH) with dodecyl sulfate increased the interlayer distance from 0.4 to 1.96 nm, which allowed the intercalation of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TPPS). The re-stacking of separated layers and the rebuilding of crystals oriented parallel to the surface of quartz slides was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The hybrid films contained homogeneously distributed porphyrin molecules with preserved photophysical properties such as fluorescence, triplet state formation, and energy transfer, thus forming singlet oxygen.     

Stable UV absorption material synthesized by intercalation of squaric acid anion into layered double hydroxides

A novel UV absorption material of squaric acid (SA) anion (O₄O₄^2?) intercalated layered double hydroxides (LDHs) was successfully synthesized by the co-precipitation method. After intercalation, the interlayer distance of MgAl-SA-LDHs increased to 1.04 nm compared to those of MgAl-CO₃-LDHs and SA anions present in form of a monolayer in the interlayer of LDHs. Thermal stability of SA clearly enhanced by the intercalation and the suppression of the deintercalation ability of MgAl-SA-LDHs was superior to that of 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid intercalated LDHs. The results of UV-DRS indicate the potential application of MgAl-SA-LDHs as UV absorbers.     

Thermal decomposition of silylated layered double hydroxides

Anionic surfactant and silane modified layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were synthesized through an in situ coprecipitation method. The structure and morphology were characterized by XRD and TEM techniques, and their thermal decomposition processes were investigated using infrared emission spectroscopy (IES) combined with thermogravimetry (TG). The surfactant modified LDHs (H-DS) shows three diffractions located at 1–7° (2θ), while there is only one broad reflection for silane grafted LDHs (H–Si) in this region. The morphologies of the H-DS and H–Si show fibrous exfoliated layers and curved sheets, respectively. The IES spectra and TG curves indicate that alkyl chain combustion and dehydroxylation are overlapped with each other during heating from 373 to 723 K in H-DS and to 873 K in H–Si. Sulfate anion transformation process occurs at 473 K in H-DS and 523 K in H–Si. The derivant of sulfate can exist even above 1073 K. After further decomposition, the metal oxides and the new type of Si–O compounds are formed beginning at around 923 K in silane modified sample.     

Mechano-hydrothermal preparation of Li-Al-OH layered double hydroxides

A mechano-hydrothermal (MHT) method was used to synthesize Li-Al-OH layered double hydroxides (LDHs) from LiOH·H₂O, Al(OH)₃ and H₂O as starting materials. A two-step synthesis was conducted, that is, Al(OH)₃ was milled for 1 h, followed by hydrothermal treatment with LiOH·H₂O solution. Effects of the LiOH/Al(OH)₃ molar ratio (R_Li/Al) and hydrothermal temperature (T_ht) on the crystallinity, morphology, and composition of the product were examined. The resulting LDHs were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and elemental analyses. The results showed that pre-milling plays a key role in the LDH formation during subsequent hydrothermal treatment. The Li/Al molar ratio of the obtained LDHs keeps constant at 0.5, independent from theR_Li/Al (0.5–5.0) in the starting materials. An increase in the T_ht (20–80 °C) can enhance the crystallinity and morphology regularity of the products. The so-obtained Li-Al-OH LDHs exhibit high crystallinity and well-dispersity, which may have wider applications than the aggregate ones obtained using conventional mechanochemical and Li⁺-imbibition methods.     

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs): As efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the cyanosilylation of aromatic aldehydes

We report the first application of Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs) as efficient and novel heterogeneous catalyst for the cyanosilylation of aldehydes with excellent yields and simple work up. The reaction between different aldehydes with electron-withdrawing and releasing groups and trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) proceeds in dry CH₂Cl₂ at room temperature in the presence of Mg-Al-Cu LDH. The catalyst recycled and reused for four times without loss of catalytic activity. The structures of all compounds were corroborated spectroscopically (¹H- and ¹³C-NMR, and elemental analysis). A plausible mechanism for this type of reaction is proposed.     

Recent progress on preparation and applications of layered double hydroxides

The properties of layered double hydroxides (LDHs), including the adjustability of cations in host layers, exchangeability of anions between layers, and tunability of the crystal structure, render them unique characteristics in preparation and applications. Relating to the structural characteristics of LDHs, this work analyzes the research status, advantages and disadvantages of the synthetic methods for LDHs, including hydrothermal, electrodeposition, co-precipitation and anion exchange methods. In addition, the application status and prospects are reviewed, such as photo/electrocatalysis, electrochemical energy storage, magnetic materials, pollutant adsorption, and other fields. Lastly, the critical issues and solutions in the developing process of LDHs are analyzed and proposed.     

Aldol condensation of furfural and acetone on layered double hydroxides

The Aldol condensation of furfural (Fur) with acetone (Ac) to 4-(2-Furyl)-3-buten-2-one (FAc) is one of the most important processes in the aqueous-reforming of oxygen-containing biomass derivatives and has been carried out in the presence of solid-base catalysts, calcined-rehydrated Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH). The Mg-Al Layered Double Hydroxides has been prepared by the coprecipitation, calcination and regeneration from mixed oxides by rehydration. The catalyst prepared with different Mg/Al molar ratios showed different catalytic performance and the best catalyst was with the Mg/Al molar ratio of 2.5. Phenol adsorption showed that the best catalyst had the largest numbers of accessible basic sites. The appropriate rehydration temperature and time for mixed oxides obtained by calcination were also investigated. The Mg-Al LDH catalysts can be regenerated by calcination at 773 K and rehydration in decarbonate water, but the regeneration is complex and incomplete. In addition, the catalyst calcined at high temperature also had activity, which was attributed to the formation of the Mg-Al spinels.     

Computer simulation study of the structural stability and materials properties of DNA-intercalated layered double hydroxides

The intercalation of DNA into layered double hydroxides (LDHs) has various applications, including drug delivery for gene therapy and origins of life studies. The nanoscale dimensions of the interlayer region make the exact conformation of the intercalated DNA difficult to elucidate experimentally. We use molecular dynamics techniques, performed on high performance supercomputing grids, to carry out large-scale simulations of double stranded, linear and plasmid DNA up to 480 base pairs in length intercalated within a magnesium-aluminum LDH. Currently only limited experimental data have been reported for these systems. Our models are found to be in agreement with experimental observations, according to which hydration is a crucial factor in determining the structural stability of DNA. Phosphate backbone groups are found to align with aluminum lattice positions. At elevated temperatures and pressures, relevant to origins of life studies which maintain that the earliest life forms originated around deep ocean hydrothermal vents, the structural stability of LDH-intercalated DNA is substantially enhanced as compared to DNA in bulk water. We also discuss how the materials properties of the LDH are modified due to DNA intercalation.