Improving the Multifunctional Properties of Clay Materials through combination of Lanthanides and Synthetic Saponites: From Environmental to Nanotechnology Applications

The Ph.D. Thesis’ work is related to the development of novel nanostructured multifunctional layered materials based on synthetic saponite clays containing lanthanides (gadolinium and europium) and catalytic transition metals (niobium) centres. These novel materials were designed with the idea of being applied in different scientific fields, from environmental to catalysis and in the nanotechnology. Proper modifications of the characteristic features of the saponite at three different domain levels (morphology and particle size, composition of the interlayer space and inorganic framework), made it possible to easily integrate in the clay the metal elements selected, in form of complexes or ions, leading to the preparation of interesting functionalized layered solids. The properties of these novel lamellar materials were exploited in different advanced applications. The samples were prepared by applying or modifying existing hydrothermal protocols or by defining brand-new synthetic procedures. The materials were deeply characterized by means of a multi-technique approach, aiming to determine their final physico-chemical properties, especially considering their future applications.