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Exfoliation and Characterization of Montmorillonite Clay via Atomic Force Microscopy
Katchinoff, Joachim
Katchinoff, Joachim
Abstract
This research presents the results of montmorillonite exfoliation and subsequent analysis via optical imaging and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Two montmorillonite clays (Cloisite- 93a and Nanofil-116) were dispersed in deionized water and exposed to different exfoliation regimes. The goal was to produce individual, 1 nm thick clay sheets or clay nanoplatelets. AFM analysis of the clay nanoplatelets determined that 1 — 2 TOT layers were produced. From the use of the AFM, we obtained images of the clay particles from which we can determine the degree of exfoliation. Since our goal is to understand the physical characteristics of clay, we wanted our exfoliated samples to remain in a range of 1 — 2 layers which would be on the order of several nanometers in thickness. After exfoliation, we ascertained how often certain particle thicknesses occurred. Knowing the density of certain particle heights determined the effectiveness of the exfoliation methods. This study provides a means of montmorillonite exfoliation and suggests that further research should be conducted on the individual clay nanoplatelets to determine the swelling behavior of montmorillonite.
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2014-01-01
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Geology