Preparation of simple and mixed nickel and cobalt molybdates using hybrid precursors made from an ordered polymer matrix and inorganic salts

The amphiphilic poly(ampholyte) poly(N,N-diallyl-N-hexylamine-alt-maleic acid), bearing simultaneously carboxylic acids, amines and hydrocarbon side chains, was used as a matrix to stabilize inorganic ion species (anionic as well as cationic) generated in aqueous solution from Ni(NO3)(2).6H(2)O, Co(NO3)(2).6H(2)O and (NH4)2MoO(4). Drying produces hybrid organic-inorganic blends which, due to the amphiphilicity of the copolymer, exhibit supramolecular organization in the bulk. Solid state studies show that up to two moles of metal cations (alone or together with metal anions) per repeat unit of the copolymer can be blended without loss of homogeneity in the hybrid material. A systematic screening permitted the determination of the optimal conditions for the preparation of homogeneous blends. Thermal treatment of the hybrid materials produces simple and mixed nickel and/or cobalt molybdates. The alpha- as well as the P-phase were obtained, and the mixed structures are solid solutions of simple NiMoO4 and CoMoO4.