Acrylate intercalation and in situ polymerization in iron substituted nickel hydroxides

Acrylic monomers and polymers have been intercalated in the lamellar struct ure of an iron substituted nickel layered double hydroxide (LDH) (Ni:Fe = 7 :3). The synthesis consists of an original step-by-step soft chemistry prep aration route in which the formation of the Ni0.7Fe0.3O2 slabs is dissociat ed from intercalation stage of anionic species. Acrylate, methacrylate and 4-pentenoate anions have been intercalated and the interslab distance of th e corresponding nanocomposite materials reaches up to 13.6 Angstrom with 4- pentenoate. In the case of acrylate intercalated materials, the use of free -radical initiated polymerization conditions led to layered materials with interslab distances close to that obtained through direct intercalation of a preformed poly(acrylic acid-co-sodium acrylate) ((M) over bar(w) = 5000). Some sulphate anions originating from the potassium persulphate initiator are simultaneously intercalated by anionic exchange. (C) 1999 Society of Ch emical Industry.