Study of structural transformations and phases formation upon calcination of Zn–Ni–Al hydrotalcite nanosheets

Abstract

In this paper, we describe a general process for the synthesis of highly crystalline Zn–Ni–Al hydrotalcite-like materials. The structure and thermal decomposition of the prepared samples are studied by XRD, FT–IR, TG–DSC, SEM, TEM and N2 adsorption/desorption. The morphology of large-sized, porous and hexagonal platelike Zn–Ni–Al hydrotalcite is affected by calcination temperature. BET specific surface area and pore volume are observed to increase with increase of the calcination temperature up to 700°C followed by a further decrease with increasing temperature.