Effect of high-energy ball milling in the structural and textural properties of kaolinite

Abstract

Through the process of high-energy ball milling it is possible to obtain solid materials with higher surface area and different particle sizes. These characteristics are very important for some application such as adsorption. Besides, applications of some clays depend on the functionalization which, for kaolinite, takes place in the aluminol groups. Modification in the structural and textural properties of kaolinite by high-energy milling can improve functionalization of kaolinite due to the exposure of aluminol groups. In this work studies were done on the influence of high-energy ball milling on the morphological properties of kaolinite, taking into account parameters such as filling of the miller, number of balls and amount of mass to be milled. Moreover, studies involving milling kinetics of purified kaolinite were carried out to verify modification in the morphology of kaolinite with milling time.