Characterization of an aluminum pillared montmorillonite with cation exchange properties

The methods of PIGE and XRF were used to determine the elemental compositio n and the structural formulae of a specially tailored PILC material during the steps of its preparation. The CEC, a crucial property for the character ization of a cation exchanger, was monitored through all stages of preparat ion. In addition, the charge carried by the pillars, a critical quantity of the pillaring process, was estimated. Exchange isotherms of strontium and cesium were performed through the use of radiotracers' exchange isotherms o f Cs-137 and Sr-85 with typical gamma-ray spectroscopy. These isotherms wer e of the Langmuir type and PILCs adsorption capacity was determined. The la tter property was compared with the CEC determined by the elemental analysi s and was found equal to the amount of the exchangeable interlamellar sodiu m ions.