Composition and ionic change capacity variation of surfactant-intercalated MgFe-layered double hydroxides in the one step synthesis

Abstract

Surfactant-intercalated MgFe-layered double hydroxides (MgFe-LDHs) were successfully synthesized via one-step self-assembly of the surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulfate, 1-hexadecane sulfate, and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate) and the LDH precursors without avoiding dissolved CO32−. As a control, p-toluene sulfonic acid was used to further study the functions of surfactants. The detailed characterization of the surfactant intercalated MgFe-LDHs and their intermediates confirm that the basal spacing changes of the formed LDHs derive from the release of surfactants out of LDH interlayers or the adsorption of surfactants from the solution in the reaction. Besides, the Mg/Fe ratio of the LDH sheets increases with the reaction and the corresponding ionic exchange capacity (IEC) of the MgFe-LDHs decreases. The final surfactant intercalated MgFe-LDH particles are the mixture of MgFe-LDH sheets with different composition and IEC, which can be the basic principle of LDH preparation for different applications. Also the Mg/Fe ratio of the surfactant intercalated MgFe-LDHs decreases with the increase of molecular length of surfactants used.