Far-Infrared Spectroscopy of Interlayer Vibrations of Cu(II),Mg(II),Zn(II),and Al(III) Intercalated Muscovite

Abstract

In this study the intercalation behavior of di- and trivalent cations like Cu(II), Mg(II), Zn(II), and Al(III) into the interlayers of muscovite was investigated by X-ray diffraction and far-infrared spectroscopy. The X-ray diffractometry shows that the original material is a muscovite 2M₁. During the metal cation treatment, new peaks occur at about 1.1 and 2.2 nm, while the original peaks strongly decrease. This gives evidence for the formation of a strongly modified mica structure. The occurrence of bands at low wavenumbers (93 cm⁻¹ and 104 cm⁻¹) in the far-infrared spectra show that the untreated material was partly dehydroxylated. The strong decrease of the band at 93 cm⁻¹ and the occurrence of a band at 110 cm⁻¹ during the intercalation are strong hints about the rehydroxylation of the mineral. The strong increase of the band intensity at 88 cm⁻¹ and the occurrence of a band at 119 cm⁻¹ in the treated muscovites prove the formation of a new, strongly modified mica phase that has both the new cations and the potassium incorporated into the interlayer space.