The properties and uses of clays which swell in organic solvents

Abstract

AbstractThe exchangable cations present on certain montmorillonites can be replaced by long-chain quarternary ammonium cations, and the resulting clays have the important property of being able to swell and disperse in a variety of organic solvents. Organophilic clays have a wide range of industrial applications and are, for example, important constituents of oil-well drilling fluids, paints, plastics and greases; their role in these is discussed. Organophilic clays have been extensively studied for about 50 years, but neither the structure nor the mechanisms by which they swell and disperse in organic solvents are clearly understood. An attempt is made to interpret the industrial applicatons in terms of published ideas concerning the structure and swelling properties of organophilic clays.