Layered double hydroxide - montmorillonite - a new nano-dimensional material

A new nano-dimensional material, layered double hydroxide montmorillonite (LDH-MMT), has been synthesized by the formation of an LDH in the presence of MMT. The structure is studied using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis. The LDH-MMT shows a novel layered structure containing negatively charged MMT layers and positively charged LDH layers with some sodium ions required to balance the charge. LDH-MMT can be ion-exchanged to obtain organically modified LDH-MMT, and this material can be well-dispersed in polystyrene. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.