Physicochemical dispersion of chrysotile

Nanofibers of chrysotile were obtained by dispersing the chrysotile suspension with sodium di-(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) in an emulsifying machine. Orthogonal experiment was designed to investigate the effects of experimental factors on the dispersion of chrysotile. The dispersed chrysotile was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and thermogravimetry–differential scanning calorimetry (TG–DSC). The results of XRD and SEM showed that the dispersed chrysotile was purified and the diameter of a single nanofiber ranged from 30 nm to 85 nm with the length over 10 μm. FT-IR and TG–DSC indicated that the molecules of AOT were adsorbed on the surface of nanofibers.