Important Effect of Synthesis Temperature on Cation Exchange Properties of a Layered Lithium Potassium Titanate

Despite the large theoretical cation exchange capability, layered transition metal oxide salts have long faced an inefficient cation-exchange reaction due to their morphological characteristics. In this study, the impact of the synthesis temperature (873–1273 K) of a lepidocrocite-type layered titanate with the formula K0.8Ti1.73Li0.27O4 on its cation-exchange properties was investigated to achieve more efficient ion-exchange for titanate synthesized at lower temperatures. The difference was explained by the smaller particle size combined with the reduced aggregation of the titanate synthesized at lower temperatures. More efficient ion-exchange was further confirmed by in situ structural evaluation using synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction for the aqueous suspension. The layered alkali titanate synthesized at 873 K reached equilibrium within 60 min (fastest among the tested samples). The insights gained in the present study have served to reannounce the usefulness of layered transition metal oxides as cation-exchangers.