Preparation of ultrathin membranes by layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition of oppositely charged inorganic colloids

Nanofilms were prepared by alternating deposition of Mg–Al (2:1) NO3− layered double hydroxide (LDH), hectorite and silica particles present study. The charge density of the oppositely charged materials strongly affect film properties like thickness and ordering. The specific charge of the colloidal particles was measured with the particle charge detector. The sequential build up of the thin films was followed by spectrophotometry and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The surface morphology of the formed multilayers was characterized and film thickness determination was performed by atomic force microscopy. The influence of the charge density of hectorite and silica particles on the LDH/hectorite, LDH/silica film thickness was studied. The results reveal that the LDH concentration has a significant effect on the film thickness while the hectorite and silica concentration were not important. Films prepared from the different types of negatively charged inorganic particles in the same concentration range (0.25–1.0%) have similar thickness because of the much higher surface charge relative to the LDH lamellae.