Synthesis of novel marigold-like carbonate-type Mg-Al layered double hydroxide micro-nanostructures via a two-step intercalation route

Novel marigold-like carbonate-type Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (MgAl-CO3-LDH) micro-nanostructures with surface curved and intercrossed nanosheets were synthesized successfully via a two-step intercalation route, which involved a primary intercalation of dodecylsulfonate (DS-) anion through urea hydrolysis, followed by exchanging interlayer DS- anions with CO32- anions in the presence of a cationic type surfactant (hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide). The possible formation mechanism of such MgAl-CO3-LDH micro-nanostructure was proposed tentatively. Furthermore, the resulting Mg-Al mixed metal oxides obtained by calcining MgAl-CO3-LDH at 500 degrees C still maintain the three-dimensional marigold-like morphology to some extent, indicative of the high thermal stability of micro-nanostructures. The findings in this work may provide a feasible approach for the special morphosynthesis of carbonate-type LDH nanomaterials. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.