X-ray Studies of Carbon Dioxide Intercalation in Na-Fluorohectorite Clay at Near-Ambient Conditions

We show experimentally that gaseous CO₂ intercalates into the interlayer space of the synthetic smectite clay Na-fluorohectorite at conditions not too far from ambient. The mean interlayer repetition distance of the clay when CO₂ is intercalated is found to be 12.5 Å for the conditions −20 °C and 15 bar. The magnitude of the expansion of the interlayer upon intercalation is indistinguishable from that observed in the dehydrated–monohydrated transition for H₂O, but the possibility of water intercalation is ruled out by a careful analysis of the experimental conditions and repeating the measurements exposing the clay to nitrogen gas. The dynamics of the process is observed to be dependent on the pressure, with a higher intercalation rate at increased pressure. The rate of CO₂ intercalation at the studied conditions is found to be several orders of magnitude slower than the intercalation rate of water or humidity at ambient pressure and temperature.