CHARACTERIZATION AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF Ni-EXCHANGED MONTMORILLONITE WITH BENZIMIDAZOLE

Thermal analysis (TG, DTG), powder diffraction analysis (XRD) and infrared (IR) spectra were used to study of composition and release of benzimidazole from Ni(II)-exchanged montmorillonite under heating. Diffraction analysis indicated that benzimidazole molecules are intercalated into the interlayer space of montmorillonite. I R spectra and the analytical characteristics have shown that different type of interactions of benzimidazole is connected with different reaction conditions (acid or neutral solution). The release of benzimidazole from Ni(II)-montmorillonite under heating from studied samples proceeds in three distinct steps. The first step can be assigned to the release of water molecules while the last (third) one corresponds to the lattice dehydroxylation. The second step can be assigned to release of chemically bonded benzimidazole.