Preparation of Layered Double Hydroxides

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) comprise an extensive class of materials that are very easy to synthesize in the laboratory, albeit not always as pure phases. In this chapter, we review the wide variety of methods that are available for the synthesis of LDHs and focus on the way in which the physicochemical properties of the materials (such as phase purity, crystallinity and surface area) vary with synthesis method. The flexibility of the different methods is also discussed: some methods can be used to synthesize LDHs containing a wide range of constituent cations and anions, whilst others are more limited in scope. In some cases, the potential for scale-up of a method to produce larger quantities of material is also noted.