Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
Sodium fluorophlogopite and lithium taeniolite have been synthesized by new routes for application in lithium batteries. The fluorophlogopite synthesized by a high temperature solid state reaction, was found to be non-water-swellable and unreactive towards several mono- and divalent ions. However it was found to readily undergo ion-exchange with both copper and iron ions, with concomitant swelling to a bilayer water state. This swelled material reacted readily with long chain amines and other molecules and ions behaving like a regular swellable silicate. A taeniolite precursor was synthesized by mild hydrothermal reactions, and annealed into a well crystalline layer solid, that reacted readily with organics to form ordered composites that have potential use as battery electrolytes and cathodes.