A Simple Mechanochemical Route to Layered Double Hydroxides: Synthesis of Hydrotalcite‐Like Mg‐Al‐NO3‐LDH by Manual Grinding in a Mortar

Abstract

AbstractHydrotalcite‐like Mg‐Al‐NO3‐layered double hydroxide (LDH) was successfully prepared in a mortar by manually grinding the hydrated magnesium and aluminum nitrate salts with sodium hydroxide. Various techniques, including XRD, MAS NMR, FTIR, SEM; thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses (TGA,DTA), surface area and zeta potential measurements were used to establish a correlation between the LDH samples prepared in the mortar and by co‐precipitation. The LDH prepared in the mortar showed all the characteristics of a layered structure but with a lower crystallinity. This product was tested for its anion exhange property with tetraborate anions and 52 % of the theoretical exchange capacity was reached. The mortar route does not require heating/refluxing treatment, CO2‐free atmosphere and solvent as in the conventional preparation methods and allows obtaining LDHs in a short reaction time.