Layered double hydroxide-like materials: nanocomposites for use in concrete

Nitrobenzoic acid (NBA), naphthalene-2, 6-disulfonic acid (26NS), and naphthalene-2 sulfonic acid (2NS) salts were intercalated into a layered double hydroxide-like host material (LDH). The intercalation process was achieved by anion exchange of nitrates in the host material, Ca2Al(OH)6NO3, nH2O (CaAl LDH), which was prepared by a coprecipitation technique. The resulting organo derivatives CaAlNBA LDH, CaAl26NS LDH, and CaAl2NS LDH produced a tilted orientation of NBA and 26NS anions in the interlayer space, while 2NS anions induced a perpendicular bilayer arrangement.Materials characterization was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), IR-spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These preliminary results open up a new direction towards the synthesis of nanocomposites using polymeric entities and layered materials for future applications in cement and concrete science, e.g., control of the effect of admixtures on the kinetics of cement hydration by programming their temporal release.