Composition driven monolayer to bilayer transformation in a surfactant intercalated Mg-Al layered double hydroxide

Theoretical and experimental investigations of the electronic/ionic conductivity and deprotonation of Ni3−xCoxAl-LDHs in an electrochemical energy storage system

A schematic illustration of the mechanism of enhanced electrochemical performance by doping Co species.

Molecular dynamics study on structure evolution of monocarboxylic acid intercalated layered double hydroxides

Classical molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to investigate the atomistic structures of monocarboxylic acid intercalated LDHs – a promising candidate for solid sorbents for carbon dioxide capture at intermediate temperatures.

Molecular pillar supported graphene oxide framework: conformational heterogeneity and tunable d-spacing

n-Alkylamines were grafted on the basal plane oxygen functionalities of graphene oxide, yielding molecular pillar supported graphene oxide frameworks with tunable interlayer spacing.

Layered zinc hydroxide nanocones: synthesis, facile morphological and structural modification, and properties

Layered zinc hydroxide nanocones intercalated with DS(-) have been synthesized for the first time via a convenient synthetic approach, using homogeneous precipitation in the presence of urea and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). SDS plays a significant role in controlling the morphologies of as-synthesized samples. Conical samples intercalated with various anions were transformed through an anion-exchange route in ethanol solution, and the original conical structure was perfectly maintained. Additionally, these DS(-)-inserted nanocones can be transformed into square-like nanoplates in aqueous solution at room temperature, fulfilling the need for different morphology-dependent properties. Corresponding ZnO nanocones and nanoplates have been further obtained through the thermal calcination of NO3(-)-intercalating zinc hydroxide nanocones/nanoplates. These ZnO nanostructures with different morphologies exhibit promising photocatalytic properties.

Engineering new layered solids from exfoliated inorganics: a periodically alternating hydrotalcite-montmorillonite layered hybrid

Two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets obtained by exfoliating inorganic layered crystals have emerged as a new class of materials with unique attributes. One of the critical challenges is to develop robust and versatile methods for creating new nanostructures from these 2D-nanosheets. Here we report the delamination of layered materials that belonging to two different classes - the cationic clay, montmorillonite, and the anionic clay, hydrotalcite - by intercalation of appropriate ionic surfactants followed by dispersion in a non-polar solvent. The solids are delaminated to single layers of atomic thickness with the ionic surfactants remaining tethered to the inorganic and consequently the nanosheets are electrically neutral. We then show that when dispersions of the two solids are mixed the exfoliated sheets self-assemble as a new layered solid with periodically alternating hydrotalcite and montmorillonite layers. The procedure outlined here is easily extended to other layered solids for creating new superstructures from 2D-nanosheets by self-assembly.

Accommodating unwelcome guests in inorganic layered hosts: inclusion of chloranil in a layered double hydroxide

The host-guest chemistry of most inorganic layered solids is limited to ion-exchange reactions. The guest species are either cations or anions to compensate for the charge deficit, either positive or negative, of the inorganic layers. Here, we outline a strategy to include neutral molecules like ortho- and para-chloranil, that are known to be good acceptors in donor-acceptor or charge-transfer complexes, within the galleries of a layered solid. We have succeeded in including neutral ortho- and para-chloranil molecules within the galleries of an Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) by using charge-transfer interactions with preintercalated p-aminobenzoate ions as the driving force. The p-aminobenzoate ions are introduced in the Mg-Al LDH via ion exchange. The intercalated LDH can adsorb ortho- and para-chloranil from chloroform solutions by forming charge-transfer complexes with the p-aminobenzoate anions present in the galleries. We use X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations to establish the nature of interactions and arrangement of the charge-transfer complex within the galleries of the layered double hydroxide.

Sol-gel transition in dispersions of layered double-hydroxide nanosheets

Surfactant-intercalated layered double-hydroxide solid Mg-Al LDH-dodecyl sulfate (DDS) undergoes rapid and facile delamination to its ultimate constituent, single sheets of nanometer thickness and micrometer size, in a nonpolar solvent such as toluene to form stable dispersions. The delaminated nanosheets are electrically neutral because the surfactant chains remain tethered to the inorganic layer even on exfoliation. With increasing volume fraction of the solid, the dispersion transforms from a free-flowing sol to a solidlike gel. Here we have investigated the sol-gel transition in dispersions of the hydrophobically modified Mg-Al LDH-DDS in toluene by rheology, SAXS, and (1)H NMR measurements. The rheo-SAXS measurements show that the sharp rise in the viscosity of the dispersion during gel formation is a consequence of a tactoidal microstructure formed by the stacking of the nanosheets with an intersheet separation of 3.92 nm. The origin and nature of the attractive forces that lead to the formation of the tactoidal structure were obtained from 1D and 2D (1)H NMR measurements that provided direct evidence of the association of the toluene solvent molecules with the terminal methyl of the tethered DDS surfactant chains. Gel formation is a consequence of the attractive dispersive interactions of toluene molecules with the tails of DDS chains anchored to opposing Mg-Al LDH sheets. The toluene solvent molecules function as molecular "glue" holding the nanosheets within the tactoidal microstructure together. Our study shows how rheology, SAXS, and NMR measurements complement each other to provide a molecular-level description of the sol-gel transition in dispersions of a hydrophobically modified layered double hydroxide.

Restructuring of hydrophobic surfaces created by surfactant adsorption to mica surfaces

Hydrophobic surfaces created by the adsorption of a monolayer of surfactants, such as CTAB or DODAB, to mica display long-range mutual attraction when placed in water. Initially, this attraction was considered to be due to hydrophobic interaction, but more careful measurements using AFM showed that the surfactant monolayer undergoes rearrangements to produce charged patches on the surface; therefore, the nature of the long-range interaction is due to the electrostatic interaction between patches. The monolayer rearrangement depends on the nature of the surfactant and its counterion. To study possible monolayer rearrangements in molecular detail, we performed detailed molecular dynamics computer simulations on systems containing a monolayer of surfactants RN(CH(3))(3)(+)Cl(-) (R indicates a saturated hydrocarbon chain) adsorbed on a mica surface and immersed in water. We observe that when chain R is 18 carbons long the monolayer rearranges into a micelle but it remains a monolayer when the chain contains 24 carbons.

Neutral Nanosheets that Gel: Exfoliated Layered Double Hydroxides in Toluene

A simple strategy to exfoliate inorganic layered double hydroxide (LDH) solids to their ultimate constituent, intact single layers of nanometer thickness and micrometer size, is presented. The procedure involves intercalation of an ionic surfactant that forms a hydrophobic anchored surfactant bilayer in the galleries of the solid followed by simply stirring the intercalated solid in toluene. The method is rapid but at the same time gentle enough to produce exfoliated nanosheets of regular morphology that are electrically neutral and form stable gels at higher concentrations. In this Letter, we describe the phenomena and use molecular dynamics simulations to show that exfoliation of the LDH in toluene is a consequence of the modification of the cohesive dispersive interactions between surfactant chains anchored on opposing inorganic sheets by the toluene molecules. The toluene molecules function as a molecular glue, holding the surfactant-anchored LDH sheets together, leading to gel formation.