Layered Double Hydroxides Variations of Synthesis Methodologies and Their Influence on Catalytic Behavior – A Structure-Property Relationship Study

Abstract

Clays are naturally occurring materials composed primarily of fine-grained minerals. Clay has been defined as an earthy material that forms a coherent, sticky mass when mixed with water and when wet this mass can be readily moldable. The two main features that evoke the interest on clays are their common availability and their extra ordinary properties [1]. Clays find their potential application in ceramics, building materials, adsorbents, ion–exchangers, sensors, decolorizing agents and catalysis [2]. The adsorptive power and high water retention capacity of clays are responsible for their wide applications. The first and most widely known application of clay on catalysis is French Houdry cracking process developed in 1930 [3]. Clays, forms a subset of large discipline of catalysts in particular as heterogeneous catalysts. This shows the importance of working on clays and clay based compounds. Clays are classified into two categories: