The intercalation of β-carotene into the organophilic interlayer space of dialkyldimethylammonium-montmorillonites

The intercalation of β-carotene into the hydrophobic interlayer spaces of montmorillonite modified with dialkyldimethylammonium cations was investigated. The organophilic montmorillonites were dispersed in a chloroform solution of β-carotene and the suspensions were casted on transparent substrates to prepare oriented films. The XRD patterns of the products showed successful intercalation of β-carotene into the interlayer spaces of the organophilic montmorillonites. The visible absorption spectra of the products revealed that the adsorbed β-carotene molecules exist as monomeric species, even when the added amounts of β-carotene were very high. Photodegradation of β-carotene molecules was suppressed by the intercalation.