The idea of preparing hybrid materials incorporating mineral particles and organic compounds with functional properties is not very new. Clay minerals and polymer based nanocomposites or surfactant for organoclay preparation as well as intercalation of dyes within the internal structure of layered materials represent good example of such approach. Nevertheless, the use of two dimensional (2D) atomic crystals or nanosheets resulting from the exfoliation of individual atomic planes peeled from inorganic layered materials constitute exciting nano materials with fascinating properties and diverse potential applications for constructing novel nanomaterials. K4Nb6O17 niobate nanosheets show extraordinary large nanoplatelets that can self-assemble in various liquid crystalline phases (nematic or lamellar) at low concentration in water, which may be used as templates for organizing further organic compounds. Alkylpoly(ethylene oxide) nonionic surfactants (CnEm) are amphiphilic molecules that self-organize in distinct morphologies lyotropic liquid crystalline phases that tend to aggregate at an interface of which geometries can be similar or different to those in bulk surfactant solution. In the present contribution, we show that combining K4Nb6O17 niobate nanosheets and several alkylpoly(ethylene oxide) nonionic surfactants (C10E5 and C12E5) leads to interesting novel nanostructures. The introduction of the amphiphilic molecules does not lead to any aggregation of the inorganic nanosheets that still show LC phases. Nevertheless, nonionic surfactant systems constrains the characteristic repeat distance of the nanosheets lamellar phase, which singularly evolves following the density of surfactant whihc show a mono lamellar domain within the intersheets distance.

Sandwich organization induced by large inorganic K4Nb6O17 nanosheets of non-ionic surfactant liquid crystalline phases

251st National Meeting (2016)

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