Synthetic Inorganic Ion Exchangers:

It was pointed out that the resinous exchangers cannot withstand high temperatures and radiation dose. Furthermore, they get degenerated in highly oxidizing media. Towards an end of 1950s, there was a great deal of activity within nuclear fuel technology, reprocessing particularly, of nuclear fuel and the required of ion exchangers that could withstand high temperatures and radiation dose was felt. This revitalized the interest in inorganic ion exchangers and the chemists started synthesizing inorganic ion exchangers. Within a span of about three decades, a large variety of inorganic ion exchangers were synthesized and put to use for different separations and other applications. Many of these materials are amorphous in nature, almost gel such as materials that after drying are ground to the desired mesh size. Just a few compounds have been synthesized in a well-defined crystalline structure.