PILCs as water-transmitting material and application in planting trees in drought areas

Clay-based water-transmitting materials were proposed in order to solve the problems of dry soil layer and watering during forest planting in drought areas. The pillared interlayered clay was prepared in the presence of primary bentonite. The conductivity property was investigated under various conditions of cross-linking agent ratio. The structural aspects and thermal degradation of composites were also studied by means of XRD, TG and porosity analysis. The results indicated that pillared clays modified by Al crosslinking agent exhibit higher conductivity properties remarkably. Larger specific surface area, more pores and complicated pore structures play vital roles in the enhancement of the conductivity property. This kind of material can obviously elevate water from subsurface layer in drought areas so as to improve the survival rate of the seedlings.