Determine the long-time fate of stacking domains

Determine whether the stacking domains in strongly swollen fluorohectorite nanosheet suspensions remain permanently finite at a few layers or eventually heal toward the positional coherence length d^2/Δd.

Background

The experiments show scattering-weighted stacking domains of only approximately two to three registered layers and indicate that mechanically introduced stacking faults relax slowly. Continued brightening of the sediment after its height has stabilised suggests that internal structural reorganisation may persist over long times.

The present observations do not determine whether the finite-domain state is an enduring metastable state or an intermediate stage preceding complete healing. The proposed test is repeated, depth-resolved microfocus SAXS during long-term sedimentation, together with measurements of spacing, peak intensity, and relative disorder.

References

The stacking-domain size may saturate at a few layers, or it may slowly grow toward the positional coherence length d{2}/\Delta d set by the spacing disorder. Whether that endpoint is a permanently finite-domain state or eventual full healing is not resolved by the present data.

— Layered matter that maintains spacing but loses stacking order  (2608.19365 - Neto et al., 19 Aug 2026) in Discussion, paragraph beginning “Several independent measurements would test the picture developed above”