Author: Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair
Link: “Charge Transfer Interactions in Smectite Clays”, Inorganica Chimica Acta, 134, pp 99-103, 1987
About: ESR and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy are used to probe the nature of electron transfer from tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) to montmorillonite and laponite RD. Evidence for electron transfer to structural iron- (III) is found for montmorillonite. If the clay is exchanged with a transition metal ion such as copper- (II) or vanadyl(IV), TTF may react preferentially with the interlamellar ion.
[TTF]3(BF4)2 will ion exchange with sodium laponite but during the process much of the crystallinity of the clay is destroyed.
Disc conductivities of sodium montmorillonite and sodium laponite are enhanced by an order of magnitude on intercalation with TTF; the conductivity is believed to be ionic in origin. Exchange with [TTF]3(BF4)2 gives no enhancement to the disc conductivity of sodium laponite.