Synthesis and characterization of nano-layered Mg-vermiculite by hydrothermal method

The Mg-vermiculite (MVerm) with the nano-layered structure was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method at 300 °C. The concentration of NaOH solution was found to be the most important factor for the formation of layered MVerm, and the optimal concentration was 2.05 mol/L. The structure, morphology and chemical composition of MVerm with layered structure were demonstrated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. The basal spacing among interlayers of the MVerm material characterized by XRD was 1.169 nm. XRF results showed that the chemical composition of the as-synthesized MVerm was closest to the NVerm when the molar ratio of Si/Na was adjusted to 1/2.5. Furthermore, TG-DSC results indicated the as-synthesized MVerm exhibited similar thermal properties with other layered silicate materials.