Kinetics of intercalation—exfoliation

Up until this point, the discussion has centered on the role of thermodynamics in the formation of intercalated and exfoliated polymer clay systems, ignoring any kinetic effects. As can well be imagined, there are a number of activation barriers that must be overcome to allow 

The intercalation of water-soluble polymers is a clear case where the edge effect does not present any barrier to intercalation. An example would be the intercalation of PVP into sodium montmorillonite [1]. In this case, hydrated sodium montmorillonite as a powder can be mixed with powdered PVP in a bowl mixer and the intercalation occiurs in seconds. 

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