Reinforced Mineral Particles by Surface Coating

Abstract

Minerals particles such as diatomite and perlite can be reinforced by coating their surfaces with aluminum silicate or zirconium silicate. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the surface of the coated particles is covered by a layer of a glassy/ceramic type coating. Test results indicate that the compaction strength of perlite particles can be increased significantly, approximately 9–fold in the case of the aluminum silicate coating. The aluminum silicate and zirconium silicate coated diatomite fillers also increase paint film scrub resistance either due to the harder glassy/ceramic coatings on diatom surface or due to the stronger bonding between the coated diatomite particles and the resin.