Patent ID: 7786189

Claim:
An intercalate, capable of being exfoliated, formed by contacting a layered phyllosilicate material with an intercalant, without prior sorption of an onium ion spacing agent, wherein the intercalant is an oligomer or polymer surface modifier that is a protonated reaction product consisting of at least one diamine and at least one dicarboxylic acid, said reaction product having at least one amine group that is protonated for ion-exchange with an interlayer cation of the layered phyllosilicate material, to achieve ion-exchange of the protonated amine group of the intercalant surface modifier with the interlayer cation of the layered phyllosilicate material, between adjacent spaced layers of the layered phyllosilicate material, to expand the spacing between a predominance of the adjacent platelets of said layered material at least about 5 Å, when measured after sorption of intercalant surface modifier.