Soft chemistry and its application for new layered compounds

Soft chemistry is useful to obtain thermally metastable new compounds. Both intercalation and soft solution processes are reviewed in this article. In tercalations have been applied in reversible uptake their intercalants such as lithium ion in rechargeable battery. h Microstructure control is very e ffective to enhance intercalation reaction rate. Preferred oriented thin fi lm of TiS2 fine powder, porous V2O5 and mesoporous WO3 were prepared in var ious methods. Shaping of intercalation compound is also very useful to acce lerate their application. Hydrotalcite was supported in micro pore of porou s alumina tube. Precipitation of metal salts from their aqueous solution is very useful in ceramic powder preparation. Their solubility is different b etween the kinds of the salts. Their precipitation behavior can be controll ed applying either gelling agent or microgravity. New members of La2Can-1Cu nO2n+2 layered compound were prepared in aqueous solution of mixed metal sa lts using tartaric acid as a gelling agent. Solid solution range was enlarg ed in ZnO-In2O3 system to Ca. 15% in a citric acid process of aqueous mixed metal salts solution. Freezing of mixed aqueous solution under microgravit y seems also a useful method to trasfer the homogeneous mixing in solution to its solid product.