ERROR 1
ERROR 1
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
Password and Confirm password must match.
If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)
ERROR 2
ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.
Zeolites and layered silicate clay materials have a variety of applications, including catalysis and chemical separations. Although the materials are molecularly ordered, pinning down their exact structures can be difficult because they may not form crystals large enough for single-crystal X-ray diffraction. A new approach to determining structures of such solids combines powder X-ray diffraction, 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and computer modeling (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja311649m). A research team led by Bradley F. Chmelka of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Sylvian Cadars of France’s National Center for Scientific Research demonstrated the approach on a nanocomposite clay made of silicate layers separated by an alkylammonium surfactant. The researchers obtained data on repeating structural units from the X-ray analysis and on silicon bonding from NMR. They used those data to narrow the number of possible framework structures. With density functional theory, they were able to identify two structures that best represent the nanocomposite.
Join the conversation
Contact the reporter
Submit a Letter to the Editor for publication
Engage with us on X