Layered double hydroxides/polymer thin films grown by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation

Due to their highly tunable properties, layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are an emerging class of the favorablylayered crystals used for the preparation of multifunctional polymer/layered crystal nanocomposites. In contrastto cationic clay materials with negatively charge layers, LDHs are the only host lattices with positively chargedlayers (brucite-like), with interlayer exchangeable anions and intercalated water.In this work, the deposition of thin films of Mg and Al based LDH/polymers nanocomposites by laser techniquesis reported. Matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation was the method used for thin films deposition. The Mg–AlLDHs capability to act as a host for polymers and to produce hybrid LDH/polymer films has been investigated.Polyethylene glycol with different molecular mass compositions and ethylene glycol were used as polymers.The structure and surface morphology of the deposited LDH/polymers filmswere examined by X-ray diffraction,Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.