| abstract |
Disclosed herein are organic-inorganic hybrid materials, in particular polyionic nanoclays, along with methods of making and using the same. The functionalized organic-inorganic hybrid materials are preferably of a phyllosilicate structure and comprise an octahedral ionic layer sandwiched between two tetrahedral layers, one or more charged chemical moieties covalently bonded to the tetrahedral layers, and optionally one or more counterions or functional groups associated with the hybrid materials. Methods of producing the same, by contacting a silane with a nucleophile and hydrolyzing the product thereof in the presence of a metal salt, are also provided. |