Hydrothermal synthesis of Mg/Al layered double hydroxides intercalated with a [Zn(NTA)]− complex Original Research Article

Mg/Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) containing a zinc(II) nitrilotriacetate complex anion ([Zn(NTA)]−) have been synthesized by a process involving ion-exchange with an Mg2Al–NO3 LDH precursor under hydrothermal conditions. Under these conditions, the reaction is completed in a short time so that the decomposition of [Zn(NTA)]− observed during the classical ion-exchange process, which requires much longer reaction times, is mitigated. The intercalated materials have been characterized by elemental analysis, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry-mass spectroscopy (TG-MS), and FT-IR spectroscopy. The thermal stability of the [Zn(NTA)]− complex anion intercalated in LDHs is higher than that in the sodium salt.