title: Nanoplatelets of sodium hectorite showing aspect ratios of ≈20,000 and superior purity.
abstract: Applying a combination of melt synthesis followed by long-term annealing a fluorohectorite is obtained which is unique with respect to homogeneity, purity, and particle size. Counterintuitively, the hectorite undergoes a disorder-to-order transition upon swelling to the level of the bilayer hydrate. Alkylammonium-exchanged samples show at any chain length only a single basal spacing corroborating a nicely homogeneous layer charge density. Its intracrystalline reactivity improves greatly upon annealing, making it capable to spontaneously and completely disintegrate into single clay lamellae of 1 nm thickness. Realizing exceptional aspect ratios of around 20,000 upon delamination, this synthetic clay will offer unprecedented potential as functional filler in highly transparent nanocomposites with superior gas barrier and mechanical properties.
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Anorganische Chemie I, Universität Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stöter
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Kunz
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Dunja
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hirsemann
authors.forename: Hussein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kalo
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Putz
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Senker
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Breu