Incorporation of transition metals into Mg–Al layered double hydroxides: Coprecipitation of cations vs. their pre-complexation with an anionic chelator

A comparative study on two different methods for preparing Mg–Al layered double hydroxides (LDH) containing various divalent transition metals M (M=Co, Ni, Cu) has been carried out. The first (conventional) method involved coprecipitation of divalent metals M(II) with Mg(II) and Al(III) cations using carbonate under basic conditions. The second approach was based on the ability of transition metals to form stable anionic chelates with edta4− (edta4−=ethylenediaminetetraacetate) that were synthesized and further introduced into LDH by coprecipitation with Mg and Al. The synthesized LDHs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) methods, thermogravimetry with mass-selective detection of decomposition products (TG-MSD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The results obtained were discussed in terms of efficiency of transition metal incorporation into the LDH structure, thermal stability of materials and the ability of metal chelates to intercalate the interlayer space of Mg–Al LDH. Vibrational spectroscopy studies confirmed that the integrity of the metal chelates was preserved upon incorporation into the LDH.