摘要 |
The present invention is a composition of comprising: a cation exchanging layered material having a cation exchanging capacity less than or fully exchanged with an organic cation, the cation exchanging layered material being in a liquid comprising an organic solvent, further characterized by one or more of the following (a) the cation exchanging layered material being delaminated into layers up to ten layers thick and more than ten layers thick where most of the material is present in ten layer thick units or less, (b) less than ten percent of the cation exchanging layered material settling upon exposure to 1,500 times gravity for one half hour; and (c) the average d-spacing of the layers of cation exchanging layered material being greater than three nanometers upon examination by x-ray diffraction spectroscopy. The instant invention is also a method for preparing a cation exchanging layered material for incorporation in a nanocomposite polymer, by the steps of: (a) dispersing a cation exchanging layered material in a liquid comprising water to form a dispersion; (b) adding an organic cation to the dispersion, the amount of organic cation being less than or equal to the cation exchanging capacity of the cation exchanging layered material; and (c) exchanging at least a portion of the water of the liquid for an organic solvent without drying the cation exchanged layered material. The invention also includes nanocomposite materials so made or incorporating such cation exchanging layered materials.
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