Nanoplatelets of Sodium Hectorite Showing Aspect Ratios of ≈20 000 and Superior Purity
Title data
Stöter, Matthias ; Kunz, Daniel A. ; Schmidt, Marko ; Hirsemann, Dunja ; Kalo, Hussein ; Putz, Bernd ; Senker, Jürgen ; Breu, Josef: Nanoplatelets of Sodium Hectorite Showing Aspect Ratios of ≈20 000 and Superior Purity. In: Langmuir.
Vol. 29
(29 January 2013)
Issue 4
.
- pp. 1280-1285.
ISSN 1520-5827
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/la304453h
Abstract in another language
Applying a combination of melt synthesis followed by long-term annealing a fluorohectorite is obtained which is unique with respect to homogeneity, purity, and particle size. Counterintuitively, the hectorite undergoes a disorder-to-order transition upon swelling to the level of the bilayer hydrate. Alkylammonium-exchanged samples show at any chain length only a single basal spacing corroborating a nicely homogeneous layer charge density. Its intracrystalline reactivity improves greatly upon annealing, making it capable to spontaneously and completely disintegrate into single clay lamellae of 1 nm thickness. Realizing exceptional aspect ratios of around 20,000 upon delamination, this synthetic clay will offer unprecedented potential as functional filler in highly transparent nanocomposites with superior gas barrier and mechanical properties.