Sulfate-functionalized carbon/metal-oxide nanocomposites from hydrotalcite-like compounds

As a new application of hydrotalcite-like compounds, sulfate-functionalized carbon/metal-oxide nanocomposites have been prepared at relatively low temperatures in a single step, in which interlayer sulfonated polymeric anions are catalytically converted to the nanocarbons (secondary phase) while CoAl-containing brucite-like sheets are converted to the metal oxide matrices. The chemical composition and structure of nanocomposites can be controlled via selecting chemical functional groups in the intercalated polymeric anions and varying processing conditions.