Preparation and Characterization of Sepiolite Microfibers with High Aspect Ratio

• Published in: 东华大学学报（英文版） Vol. 39; no. 6; pp. 542 - 548
• Main Authors: XU Tong, HU Yelei, QIAN Di, ZHU Yuanzhao, ZHONG Yi, ZHANG Linping, XU Hong, MAO Zhiping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry&Chemical Biology,Ministry of Education,Department of Chemistry,Tsinghua University,Beijing 100084,China%National Dyeing and Finishing Engineering Technology Research Center,Donghua University,Shanghai 201620,China 31.12.2022; Key Laboratory of Science&Technology of Eco-Textile,Ministry of Education,Donghua University,Shanghai 201620,China; Sino-German Engineering College,Shanghai Technical Institute of Electronics&Information,Shanghai 201411,China%Key Laboratory of Science&Technology of Eco-Textile,Ministry of Education,Donghua University,Shanghai 201620,China%Key Laboratory of Science&Technology of Eco-Textile,Ministry of Education,Donghua University,Shanghai 201620,China; National Manufacturing Innovation Center of Advanced Dyeing and Finishing Technology,Taian 271000,China
• Subjects: flexibility; high aspect ratio; inorganic membrane; sepiolite microfiber
• ISSN: 1672-5220
• DOI: 10.19884/j.1672-5220.202107012

TQ172; It is difficult to access exfoliated sepiolite (Sep) fibers with high aspect ratio from Sep ore. The traditional method used to purify Sep ore also reduces its aspect ratio. In this study, impurities in the Sep ore were removed by acid activation followed by a cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (C16) treatment to organically modify the purified Sep by cation exchange. Then, the organically-modified Sep (O-Sep) was stripped and processed by an ultrasonic cell crusher to obtain Sep microfibers at a specific frequency for a given period. These Sep samples had relatively high aspect ratio, compared with the Sep fibers gotten by traditional method. Scanning electron microscopy ( SEM ) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrate the micro-morphology of exfoliated Sep samples in an intuitive way. Moreover, pure inorganic membrane prepared only with the exfoliated Sep fibers exhibited excellent flexibility, further demonstrating the excellent properties of Sep fibers with high aspect ratio.