Formation of Colloidal Dispersions of Layered g-Zirconium Phosphate in Water/Acetone Mixtures

The exfoliation of zirconium phosphate with a layered structure pounds have been successfully exfoliated in an aqueous meof the g-type is of interest from both a fundamental and a techno- dium when some short-chain alkylamines are intercalated logical point of view. However, until now, the results reported in (2). The colloidal dispersions of layered compounds have the literature have not been as good as those reported for a-zirconium phosphate. It has been found that a very good exfoliation of many potential uses: preparation of high-surface-area catag- zirconium phosphate with the formation of very stable colloidal lysts (2) , self-assembled layered structures (3) , preparation dispersions can be obtained at temperatures higher than 557C and of pillared porous compounds by intercalation of large catfor percentages of acetone in the range 35-80% in volume. The ionic species such as Keggin ions (4) , preparation of selfexfoliation was attributed to the formation of an expanded acetone consistent films or materials covered with very thin pellicules intercalated phase in which the interlayer hydrogen bonds origi- of these compounds (5), and as protonic conductors (6). nally present in the g-ZrPO4rO2P(OH)2r2H2O are broken. By Due to the renewed interest in g-metal ( IV) phosphates filtration of the colloidal dispersions, very compact and flexible after the elucidation of their layered structure (7, 8) and self-consistent films can be obtained.