Sol-Gel Synthesis and Characterization of Non-Substituted and Europium- Substituted Layered Double Hydroxides Mg3/Al1-xEux

The Mg/Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were successfully synthesized by novel aqueous sol-gel method. A series of europium-substituted layered double hydroxides (Mg/Al/Eu LDHs) were also synthesized using the same sol-gel processing. The Eu3+ substitution effects were investigated in the Mg3/Al1-xEux system by changing the amount of Eu3+ in the crystal lattice from 0.05 to 10 mol%. The samples obtained were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fluorescence Spectroscopy (FLS). The results revealed that europium enters into a hydrotalcite structure containing Mg2+ and Al3+ cations in the brucite-like layers.