Structural study of Maya Blue: Textural, thermal and solidstate multinuclear magnetic resonance characterization of the palygorskite-indigo and sepiolite-indigo adducts

Palygorskite-indigo and sepiolite-indigo adducts (2 wt.% indigo) were prepared by crushing the two compounds together in a mortar and heating the resulting mixtures at 150 and 120degreesC, respectively, for 20 h. The samples were tested chemically to ensure that they displayed the characteristic properties of Maya Blue. Textural analysis revealed that no apparent changes in microporosity occurred in sepiolite or palygorskite after thermal treatment at 120degreesC (sepiolite) and 150degreesC (palygorskite) for 20 h. Micropore measurements showed a loss of microporosity in both sepiolite and palygorskite after reaction with indigo. The TGA-DTG curves of the sepiolite-indigo and palygorskite-indigo adducts were similar to their pure clay mineral counterparts except for an additional weight loss at similar to360degreesC due to indigo. The Si-29 CP/MAS-NMR spectrum of the heated sepiolite-indigo adduct is very reminiscent of the spectrum of dehydrated sepiolite. Crushing indigo and sepiolite together initiates a complexation, clearly seen in the C-13 CP/MAS-NMR spectrum, which can be driven to completion by heat application. In contrast to the broad peaks of the pure indigo C-13 CP/MAS-NMR spectrum, the sepiolite-indigo adduct spectrum consists of a well-defined series of six narrow peaks in the 120.0-125.0 ppm range. In addition, the sepiolite-indigo spectrum has two narrow, shifted peaks corresponding to the carbonyl group and the C-7 (C-16) of indigo. A model is proposed in which indigo molecules are rigidly fixed to the clay mineral surface through hydrogen bonds with edge silanol groups, and these molecules act to block the nano-tunnel entrances.