High Temperature Structural Modifications of Intercalated Montmorillonite Clay Mineral with OH-Al Polymers

Two montmorillonitic clays were put into contact with a solution containing inorganic OH-Al polymers and subsequently washed and dried. The obtained solid (i.e.the clays with the OH -Al species in the montmorillonite interlayer) which was called the precursor, was subjected to a thermal treatment up to 1000 ¡ C using DTA-TG for analysis at low temperature. Additionally, the structural changes of the precursor by heating at 1030, 1100 and 1200 ¡ C for 2 hours and that of the natural clays were examined. The crystallinity and formation of new phases was followed by x-ray diffraction analysis. Mullite and cordierite were originated depending on the different contents of aluminium and magnesium in the structure of natural montmorillonite, respectively, accompanied with other phases. The intercalated OH-Al species in both clays favored the increase in the mullite content in the final products. However, the transformation to this phase was directly related to the octahedral aluminium of the natural clay and thus mullite was found to be the dominant phase from montmorillomite containing higher octahedral Al.