Synthesis and characterization of nano-layered Mg-vermiculite by hydrothermal method

The Mg-vermiculite (MVerm) with the nano-layered structure was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method at 300 degrees C. The concentration of NaOH solution was found to be the most important factor for the formation of layered MVerm, and the optimal concentration was 2.05 mol/L. The structure, morphology and chemical composition of MVerm with layered structure were demonstrated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. The basal spacing among interlayers of the MVerm material characterized by XRD was 1.169 nm. XRF results showed that the chemical composition of the as-synthesized MVerm was closest to the NVerm when the molar ratio of Si/Na was adjusted to 1/2.5. Furthermore, TG-DSC results indicated the as-synthesized MVerm exhibited similar thermal properties with other layered silicate materials. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.