Synthetic talc advances: Coming closer to nature, added value, and industrial requirements

• Evolution of talc synthesis process is reported and evaluated through XRD.
• The new process fits with industrial requirements: cheap, convenient and rapid.
• Higher crystallinity is obtained with the new process.
• An experimental plan is designed to target the key synthesis parameters.
• A crystalline lamellarity index is defined to sort synthetic talc quality.

Over the past 2 years, the synthetic process of talc particles has evolved considerably, leading to an inexpensive, convenient, and rapid process that is compatible with industrial requirements. In addition to facilitate the synthetic talc preparation, the evolution of the synthesis process has led to an improved crystallographic arrangement of the talc particles in both the c* direction and (ab) plane. In the present study, the most recent process was investigated with respect to the reaction time, temperature, pressure, pH, and salt concentration to determine the optimal reaction parameters. In the geomaterial industry, X-ray diffraction is routinely used for powder material characterization; the crystallinity of our synthetic talc was evaluated by this technique through measurements of the Coherent Scattering Domain (CSD) size. A crystalline lamellarity index was defined as the ratio between the CSD size values in the (ab) plane and c⁎ direction. These crystallinity characteristics were used to define the quality of the synthetic talc and its suitability for potential industrial markets.