Preparation and Property of Zirconia-Pillared Montmorillonite Having Different Pillar Populations

Abstract

Abstract Zirconia-pillared clay was prepared by ion-exchanging montmorillonites having different cation exchange capacities (CEC’s) in an aqueous solution of ZrOCl2. The amount of zirconia incorporated as pillars varied depending on the CEC of the starting clay. The interlayer distance was almost the same: ca., 0.8 nm. These findings suggest that the distance between pillars or the lateral distance should be different from one zirconiapillared clay to another. As a result of pillaring the surface area was 200–260 m2 g−1. The thermal stability was examined in terms of a decrease in the surface area after heating at elevated temperatures.