Preparation and spectroscopic characterisation of intercalation compounds of α-zirconium phosphate with Rhodamine B

The addition of increasing volumes of 10(-2) M Rhodamine chloride solution to colloidal dispersions of alpha-zirconium phosphate exfoliated with n- propylamine induces flocculation of the layered compound, accompanied by ion exchange of the dye for the propylammonium cation, to give two intercalation compounds containing 0.19 and 0.66 mol of Rhodamine per mol of Zr, and having interlayer distances of 1.9 and 2.47 nm, respectively. Excitation and emission spectra of the intercalation compounds showed a relevant blue-shift (15 nm) of the typical emission maximum of solid Rhodamine B, centred at 690 nm. The accommodation of guest molecules in the layered host is also discussed, on the basis of experimental data and computer simulation.