The Periodic Table as a Guide to the Construction and Properties of Layered Double Hydroxides

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have received considerable attention in recent years because both the cations incorporated in the layers and the interlayer anions can be varied widely, facilitating the tailored fabrication of a large family of functional LDH materials with specific properties and applications. In this chapter, we focus on understanding how the nature and extent of cation substitution in the layers reflect the position of that cation in the Periodic Table. Our analyses indicate that the electron configurations and coordination properties of the cations in the layers result in periodic variations in the fundamental properties of the resulting LDHs, such as their local coordination geometry, stability, electronegativity, and band structure. These periodic variations directly influence the efficacy of a given LDH in applications such as solid base catalysis and photocatalysis.