Analysis of the 001 Reflection of Nickel-Fluorohectorite by Synchrotron X-Ray Diffraction

In the present work X-ray diffraction was used in order to observe the stable hydration states of the clay nickel-fluorohectorite. The diffraction patterns were measured as function of relative humidity and temperature. The Bragg peak positions were used to calculate the basal spacing of the clay at each temperature (the spacing along the stacking direction). The results showed that the water intercalation process is more dependent on the relative humidity than on the temperature. The crystallite size of the clay increases as the relative humidity rises. This study exposes the necessity for more experiments at higher temperature range in order to reach other hydration states.