Intercalation compounds

Intercalation compounds

Crystalline or partially crystalline solids consisting of a host lattice containing voids into which guest atoms or molecules are inserted. Candidate hosts for intercalation reactions may be classified by the number of directions (0 to 3) along which the lattice is strongly bonded and thus unaffected by the intercalation reaction. Isotropic, three-dimensional lattices (including many oxides and zeolites) contain large voids that can accept multiple guest atoms or molecules. Layer-type, two-dimensional lattices (graphite and clays) swell up perpendicular to the layers when the guest atoms enter. The chains in one-dimensional structures (polymers such as polyacetylene) rotate cooperatively about their axes during the intercalation reaction to form channels that are occupied by the guest atoms. In the intercalation family based on solid C60 (buckminsterfullerene), the zero-dimensional host lattice consists of 60-atom carbon clusters with strong internal bonding but weak intercluster bonding. These clusters pack together like hard 1-nm-diameter spheres, creating interstitial voids which are large enough to accept most elements in the periodic table. The proportions of guest and host atoms may be varied continuously in many of these materials, which are therefore not true compounds. Many ternary and quaternary substances, containing two or three distinct guest species, are known. The guest may be an atom or inorganic molecule (such as an alkali metal, halogen, or metal halide), an organic molecule (for example, an aromatic such as benzene, pyridine, or ammonia), or both. See Crystal structure

Many applications of intercalation compounds derive from the reversibility of the intercalation reaction. The best-known example is pottery: Water intercalated between the silicate sheets makes wet clay plastic, while driving the water out during firing results in a dense, hard, durable material. Many intercalation compounds are good ionic conductors and are thus useful as electrodes in batteries and fuel cells. A technology for lightweight rechargeable batteries employs lithium ions which shuttle back and forth between two different intercalation electrodes as the battery is charged and discharged: vanadium oxide (three-dimensional) and graphite (two-dimensional). Zeolites containing metal atoms remain sufficiently porous to serve as catalysts for gas-phase reactions. Many compounds can be used as convenient storage media, releasing the guest molecules in a controlled manner by mild heating.