On the acidity of saponite materials: a combined HRTEM, FTIR, and solid-state NMR study

Acid clays were prepared by exchanging a synthetic saponite in HCl solutions of different concentration (0.01 and 1M, respectively). A combined experimental approach (XRD, HRTEM, N2 physisorption, solid-state MAS NMR, and TGA) was used to investigate on the structural, morphological, and textural features of the samples treated under mild and strong acid conditions. FTIR spectroscopy of adsorbed probe molecules with different basicity (e.g., CO and NH3) was used to monitor the surface acid properties and acid site distribution. XRD and SS-MAS NMR indicated that the activation under mild acid conditions does not alter the clay structure, while a deep modification of the saponite framework occurred after ion exchange in 1 M HCl solution. The presence of porous amorphous silica phase after treatment under strong acid conditions was confirmed by TEM inspection augmented by SS-MAS NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. N2 and Ar physisorption measurements suggested that cavitation phenomena occurred in saponite structure. N2 physisorption confirmed that the porosity and surface area of the samples are strongly modified upon strong acid treatment. FTIR spectroscopy of adsorbed NH3 pointed out that the H-exchange in mild conditions increased the number of surface Brønsted acid sites. Conversely, these sites are significantly depleted after treatment under strong acid conditions. The use of CO as a FTIR probe molecule, which is applied for the first time to study synthetic acid clays, allowed to monitor distribution and strength of Brønsted acid sites, whose acidity is similar to that of strong acid zeolites. The Al-OH sites with medium acidity are also found in acid-activated saponites. The distribution of strong and medium acid sites is strictly dependent on the acid conditions adopted.