Soft Chemical Design of Transition-Metal-Oxide/Clay Layered Nanocomposites

Room-temperature synthesis of transition metal ( TM = Co, Ni and Mn ) oxide intercalated clays has been developed, which extends the potentiality of clay based materials for the design of electroactive nanophase. The structure was examined by using powder XRD - one-dimensional Fourier analysis, magnetic susceptibility measurement as well as conventional analytical methods. From the results, it was revealed that the oxidation by using NaClO as the oxidative reagent affords a new expanded layer structure with a basal spacing of about 1.96 nm wherein a conductive TM oxide sheetadjacent to two hydrated sodium ion layers resides in the gallery of the clay. The resultant sodium cobaltate interlayered smectite bears multi-functionality; an apparent bulk conductivity in the order of 10−5 Scm−1 and a cation exchange ability.