Development of monodisperse porous microspheres of MgAl-layered double hydroxide by droplet coagulation

The present research focuses on the development of porous MgAl-layered double hydroxide microspheres with high sphericity and uniform particle size distribution. This is based on the droplet coagulation technique using alginate biopolymer as a binder. To achieve this, the suspension formulation was systematically optimized based on zeta potential and rheology measurements. The structural, microtextural and porosity characteristics of the MgAl-LDH powder and the corresponding obtained microspheres were investigated by X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy, optical and scanning electron microscopy, N-2 sorption and Hg intrusion characterization techniques. The combination of these techniques allowed us to highlight that this shaping process leads to the production of porous microspheres in which the LDH plate-like particles are held together in a calcium alginate network without altering their structural features. This research opens up new opportunities for the LDH-type materials towards packed bed applications, such as chemical reactors or sorption columns. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Automated summary

The research focuses on developing porous MgAl-layered double hydroxide microspheres with high sphericity and uniform particle size distribution using the droplet coagulation technique. The combination of characterization techniques highlighted the production of porous microspheres where LDH plate-like particles are held together in a calcium alginate network without altering their structural features, opening up new opportunities for LDH-type materials in packed bed applications.