Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
The reaction of tetraethylammonium salt with the nanocomposites K0.2(C2H4O)2.3M0.9PS3 (M = Mn, Cd) under ambient conditions results in the rapid and quantitative displacement of the polymer to form the alkylammonium intercalate. The displacement reactions go to completion with no polymer degradation after initial formation of the nanocomposite. Pseudo-reaction rates (0.0 to 7.8 min−1) are obtained using temporal XRD studies for different cations, concentrations, and polymer molecular weights. A strong rate dependence is observed for alkylammonium concentration, and displacement occurs very slowly, or only to a limited extent, for tetramethylammonium, tetrapropylammonium, and tetrabutylammonium salts. Rapid displacement is also reported for other layered nanocomposites containing poly(ethylene oxide), including those with LixMoS2, Na-montmorillonite, and LixMoO3.