Surface charge heterogeneity of kaolinite in aqueous suspension in comparison with montmorillonite

An analogous study to 2:1 type montmorillonite [Tombácz, E., Szekeres, M., 2004. Colloidal behavior of aqueous montmorillonite suspensions: the specific role of pH in the presence of indifferent electrolytes. Appl. Clay Sci. 27, 75–94.] was performed on 1:1 type kaolinite obtained from Zettlitz kaolin. Clay minerals are built up from silica tetrahedral (T) and alumina octahedral (O) layers. These lamellar particles have patch-wise surface heterogeneity, since different sites are localized on definite parts of particle surface. pH-dependent charges develop on the surface hydroxyls mainly at edges besides the permanent negative charges on silica basal plane due to isomorphic substitutions. Electric double layers (edl) with either constant charge density on T faces (silica basal planes) or constant potential at constant pH on edges and O faces (hydroxyl-terminated planes) form on patches. The local electrostatic field is determined by the crystal structure of clay particles, and influenced by the pH and dissolved electrolytes. The acid–base titration of Na-kaolinite suspensions showed analogous feature to montmorillonite. The initial pH of suspensions and the net proton surface excess vs. pH functions shifted to the lower pH with increasing ionic strength indicating the presence of permanent charges in both cases, but these shifts were smaller for kaolinite in accordance with its much lower layer charge density. The pH-dependent charge formation was similar, positive charges in the protonation reaction of (Si–O)Al–OH sites formed only at pHs below  6–6.5, considered as point of zero net proton charge (PZNPC) of kaolinite particles. So, oppositely charged surface parts on both clay particles are only below this pH, therefore patch-wise charge heterogeneity exists under acidic conditions. Electrophoretic mobility measurements, however, showed negative values for both clays over the whole range of pH showing the dominance of permanent charges, and only certain decrease in absolute values, much larger for kaolinite was observed with decreasing pH below pH  6. The charge heterogeneity was supported by the pH-dependent properties of dilute and dense clay suspensions with different NaCl concentrations. Huge aggregates were able to form only below pH  7 in kaolinite suspensions. Coagulation kinetics measurements at different pHs provided undisputable proofs for heterocoagulation of kaolinite particles. Similarly to montmorillonite, heterocoagulation at pH  4 occurs only above a threshold electrolyte concentration, which was much smaller, only  1 mmol l^− 1 NaCl for kaolinite, than that for montmorillonite due to the substantial difference in particle geometry. The electrolyte tolerance of both clay suspensions increased with increasing pH, pH  6–6.5 range was sensitive, and even a sudden change occurred above pH  6 in kaolinite. There was practically no difference in the critical coagulation concentration of kaolinite and montmorillonite (c.c.c. 100 mmol l^− 1 NaCl) measured in alkaline region, where homocoagulation of negatively charged lamellae takes place. Rheological measurements showed shear thinning flow character and small thixotropy of suspensions at and above pH  6.7 proving the existence of repulsive interaction between uniformly charged particles in 0.01 M NaCl for both clays. The appearance of antithixotropy, the sudden increase in yield values, and also the formation of viscoelastic systems only at and below pH  6 verify the network formation due to attraction between oppositely charged parts of kaolinite particles. Under similar conditions the montmorillonite gels were thixotropic with significant elastic response.     

The effect of particle size of clay on the viscosity build up property of mixed metal hydroxides (MMH) in the low solid-drilling mud compositions

Mixed metal hydroxide (MMH) is a purely inorganic viscosifier of montmorillonite suspensions, having environmental and thixotropic advantages over conventional viscosifiers. It was observed that the particle size distribution of the clay plays a crucial role in building up viscosity of clay–MMH suspensions. Two drilling clays, their separated < 2 μm fractions and a pharmaceutical grade bentonite were studied. It was found that in a clay with 80% (w/w) particles below the 2 μm level the yield point (YP) rise of 2.5% (w/w) aqueous clay suspension is not stopped even on 0.3% (w/v) MMH treatment, whereas in a clay with less than 30% (w/v) particles below the 2 μm level the YP reaches a constant level of 8 lb/100 ft² after 0.1% MMH (w/v) treatment. When the < 2 μm separated fraction is taken from the latter clay and hydrated it was found that YP rises even above the constancy level. On further homo-ionising this separated fraction to Na form and treating with MMH the YP rise was found still higher. When some carefully separated fraction containing a high amount of particles with less than < 1 μm fraction was treated with MMH the YP rise was even higher. With the decrease of the particle size of the clay there is associated an increase of cation exchange capacity (CEC). Therefore, both CEC and particle size play a vital role in viscosity buildup which is due to the formation of an extended gel-network of clay and LDH particles at the prevailing alkaline pH of the system giving rise to high thixotropy. Finally, to reach a bench mark level of YP ≈ 20 lb/100 ft² with the latter clay one must opt for a base mud concentration of a minimum of 4% (w/v) aqueous system.     

Adsorption of uranyl ions on kaolinite,montmorillonite, humic acid and composite clay material

Adsorption of uranyl ions onto kaolinite, montmorillonite, humic acid and composite clay material (both clays and humic acid) was studied by measuring the system response to clay suspensions (pre-equilibrated with or without uranyl) and to perturbations of the solution chemistry. Adsorption behavior of selected materials under the frame of batch experiments was tested at high uranyl concentrations (6–1170 μg/mL; 2.5 × 10^− 2 to 4.9 μM), whereas that under flow through continuous stirred reactor experiments was tested at low concentrations (1.00 × 10^− 4 to 1.18 × 10^− 4 M). Both experiments were developed at pH 4.5 and ionic strength 0.2 mM. The adsorption experiments follow a Langmuir isotherm model with a good correlation coefficient (R² > 0.97). The calculated amount of adsorbed and desorbed uranyl was carried out by numeric integration of the experimental data, whereas the desorption rates were determined from the breakthrough curve experiments. Kaolinite with highly disordered structure adsorbed less uranyl (3.86 × 10^− 6 mol/g) than well-ordered kaolinite (1.76 × 10^− 5 mol/g). Higher amount of uranyl was adsorbed by montmorillonite (3.60 × 10^− 5 mol/g) and only half of adsorbed amount was desorbed (1.85 × 10^− 5 mol/g). The molecular interactions between kaolinite, montmorillonite, humic acid, composite material and saturated uranyl ion solutions were studied by molecular fluorescence, infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Stern–Volmer constant obtained for montmorillonite (2.6 × 10³ M^− 1) is higher than for kaolinite (0.3 × 10³ M^− 1). Molecular vibrations of SiO stretching and AlOH bending related to hydroxylated groups (SiOH or AlOH) of kaolinite and montmorillonite show structural changes when uranyl ions are adsorbed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the U 4f_7/2 core level signals occur at 380.5 eV in either kaolinite or montmorillonite that resulted from the interaction of aluminol surface sites with the (UO₂)₃(OH)₅⁺.     

Correlation between eletrokinetic mobility and ionic dyes adsorption of Moroccan stevensite

This study aims at establishing a correlation between the electrical charge of Moroccan stevensite particles and ionic dyes adsorption. The electrophoretic mobility, (U_e), of the stevensite particles in water, was measured at pH 2.5–12 by microelectrophoresis. At pH between 2.5 and 8, U_e remained constant (U_e = ? 1.6 10^? 8 m²/(V s)), as resulting from the permanent charge of the clay mineral planar surfaces. At pH > 8, the magnitude of electrophoretic mobility increased (U_e = ? 2.7 10^? 8 m²/(V s)) due to the deprotonation of silanol groups on the surfaces. The anionic Orange G adsorption at the clay mineral–water interface was negligible whereas the methylene blue cations were strongly adsorbed due to the electrostatic attraction.     

Dispersion of Cu2O particles in aqueous suspensions containing 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-benzenedisulfonic acid disodium salt

Effect of 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-benzenedisulfonic acid disodium salt's addition upon Cu₂O dispersion properties is studied to clarify dispersant's role in colloidal properties change and its underlying stabilization mechanism, and to quantify processing conditions for the oxide. Dispersing effectiveness was studied through adsorption, rheological and electrophoretic measurements, using as-received and surface charge modified Cu₂O particles. Maximum solid loading attained without dispersant was 73 wt.% (31 vol.%), with corresponding viscosity of 152.5 ± 7.3 Pa s. Addition of dispersant resulted in viscosity between 21.0 Pa s and 5.4 Pa s. No isoelectric point was found for as-received particles’ suspensions nor for dispersed suspensions, with particles presenting negative surface charge in all studied pH range, from pH 4 to 10. Adsorption of the organic molecule caused an absolute downshift of 8–25 mV of the electrophoresis curve. Dispersant/Cu₂O interaction was assessed through FTIR analysis. Attained results suggest that, at the natural suspensions pH, dispersant-modified Cu₂O suspensions are stabilized through inner-sphere complexation mechanism, resulting in high dispersion ability.     

Effects of montmorillonite on the chemical degradation kinetics of metsulfuron methyl in aqueous media

The degradation kinetics of the sulfonylurea herbicide metsulfuron methyl (MM) has been studied in batch experiments by UV–VIS spectroscopy, and the effects of pH and the presence of a clay mineral (Na-montmorillonite) are reported. The proposed UV–VIS method gives kinetic results that are comparable to those obtained with chromatographic methods. In aqueous solutions, the chemical degradation of MM is undetectable at pH 6.5–9.5, but increases about 500 times by decreasing the pH from 6 to 2, and 300 times by increasing pH from 9.5 to 11.5. For example, the half-life of MM is shorter than 1 d at pH 2 and 11.5, but longer than a year at pH 6. Na-montmorillonite has an inhibitory effect on MM degradation. A combination of adsorption–desorption studies and degradation kinetic measurements demonstrates that in the presence of Na-montmorillonite only MM that remains in solution is subject to degradation; adsorbed MM is protected by the clay from being degraded. However, since adsorption only occurs at low pH (around 3) it can be envisaged that montmorillonite and supposedly other phyllosilicate clays do not affect significantly the chemical degradation rate of MM in soils and other natural systems.     

Intercalation of lecithins for preparation of layered nanohybrid materials and adsorption of limonene

The intercalation of biosurfactants (lysolecithin and lecithin) in layered clay mineral supports was investigated to assess the suitability of the resulting nanohybrid materials as flavor and fragrance delivery system. The protonated biosurfactant molecules (pH = 2.3) were intercalated into the Na-montmorillonite, whereas the deprotonated biosurfactants (pH ~ 12) were intercalated into Mg–Al layered double hydroxides. The amount of lysolecithin and lecithin bound to the layered adsorbents was estimated by measuring adsorption isotherms. The basal spacing obtained from X-ray diffraction measurements suggested that the molecules are arranged in parallel with the layers of montmorillonite, whereas in the case of layered double hydroxides, the adsorbed molecules are in a vertical position between the layers. The interaction of layered adsorbents and biosurfactants was further evidenced by infrared spectroscopy. The intercalated montmorillonite and LDH particles were then probed for their ability to intercalate limonene molecules. Only the lysolecithins modified samples adsorbed limonene. The theoretical sizes of molecules and their possible arrangement between the layers were modeled by HyperChem 7.0 molecular calculations to correlate the ability to bind the lecithins in the confined space of the layered materials.     

Adsorption of cationic cetylpyridinium chloride on pyrite surface

Adsorption of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), a cationic surfactant, on pyrite surface was investigated in its suspension. Maximum adsorption capacity of pyrite for CPC was 357 mmol kg^?1 in pyrite suspension (4 g L^?1) at pH 7 equilibrated with CPC (0.1–1.8 mmol L^?1). As CPC adsorption proceeded in the suspension at pH < 7, zeta potential (ζ) of pyrite surface showed increasing positive values (i.e. 5–18.5 mV at pH 5 and 8.12–26 mV at pH 6). However, at pH ≥ 7, it changed from negative to positive value (i.e. ?5 to 36 mV at pH 7, ?10 to 30 mV at pH 8, and ?15 to 20 mV at pH 9), indicating three different iso-electric points at each pH. Adsorption isotherms at suspension pH 5 and 7 with NaCl (0.01 and 0.1 M) showed a decreasing pattern in CPC adsorption capacity. Zeta potential of pyrite surface changed from positive to negative value by the addition of NaCl (21 to ?16 mV at pH 5 and 5 to ?22 mV at pH 7). This study provides basic understanding of the adsorption mechanism of cationic surfactant on pyrite surface at different pH conditions when surfactant wastewater and contaminated groundwater need to be treated by the reactive iron sulfide.     

Preparation and characterization of micron and submicron-sized vermiculite powders by ultrasonic irradiation

Micron and submicron-sized vermiculite lamellar particles with nanometric thickness (< 10 nm) were prepared by ultrasonic treatments (< 12 h) of aqueous and hydrogen peroxide suspensions of thermally exfoliated vermiculite. Laser granulometry characterizations showed that the particles size distribution was dependent on the treatment time and that the use of H₂O₂ afforded smaller particles than H₂O. In both media, an exfoliation and a size reduction were observed after only 1 h of ultrasonic treatment by Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Nitrogen Adsorption Measurements at 77 K. X-ray diffraction studies showed the absence of damage in crystals structure after sonication and also a reduction of crystallites size along the basal direction (00l). The different ultrasonic treatments also induced modifications of the surface properties of the vermiculite particles, brought out by BET surface measurements, infrared spectroscopy, pH modifications of the materials and zeta potential analyses. Sonication of the vermiculites yielded to the formation of carbonate anions from the dissolved CO₂ and hydroxide anions released from the clay layers. The long ultrasound irradiation of the vermiculite in hydrogen peroxide (> 5 h) generated the decrease of the surface charge, pointed out by pH and zeta potential modifications, allowing an aggregation of the submicron particles in the suspensions.     

Colloidal stability of bentonite clay considering surface charge properties as a function of pH and ionic strength

Surface charge properties of bentonite colloids were investigated to study their colloidal stability in a solution as a function of the pH and ionic strength. Potentiometric titrations and zeta potential measurements for the bentonite colloids depending upon the pH and ionic strength were performed to investigate the surface charge properties. It was observed from the potentiometric titrations that a zero net proton adsorption occurred at about pH 8.2 (pH_PNZPC ～ 8.2). Surface charges of the bentonite colloids mainly carrying structural negative charges revealed a very small dependency on the pH. The same behavior was also observed in the zeta potential measurements. The zeta potential measurements for the bentonite colloid showed that the bentonite colloids were stable at lower ionic strengths of 0.01 and 0.001 M NaClO₄ but unstable at a higher ionic strength of 0.1 M NaClO₄ within the whole pH range studied. Therefore, it can be concluded that bentonite colloids would be stable in most of the considered fresh groundwater conditions, i.e., pH from 6 to 10 and an ionic strength from 0.001 to 0.01 M, and then they can be mobilized along a flowing groundwater.     

Rheological properties of montmorillonitic clay suspensions: Effect of firing and interlayer cations

The effect of a prior firing of three montmorillonite clays, exhibiting different nature of interlayer cations, on the rheological behaviour of related aqueous suspensions (5 and 10 mass% of solid content) was examined. Calcinations were performed at 150 °C, 250 °C, 300 °C or 450 °C for 30 min. The rheological properties were characterized at 25 °C in the flow mode using the Herschel–Bulkley model.The alkaline interlayer cation (Na) tended to increase the yield stress of montmorillonite suspensions in comparison with earth-alkaline ones (Ca, Mg). As expected, increasing solid content led to increasing yield stress.For calcinations until 200 °C, the relevant suspensions exhibited an increasing yield stress due to a gel-like behaviour in relation with a card-house-like structure. Furthermore, calcination above 300 °C favoured the decrease of the corresponding yield stress. This behaviour seemed to be related to the modification of the surface properties of the clay platelets, more precisely to the beginning of clay dehydroxylation.     

Time-resolved powder neutron diffraction study of the phase transformation sequence of kaolinite to mullite

Mullite formation from kaolinite was studied by means of high-temperature in situ powder neutron diffraction by heating from room temperature up to 1370 °C. Neutron diffractometry under this non-isothermal conditions is suitable for studying high-temperature reaction kinetics and to identify short-lived species which otherwise might escape detection. Data collected from dynamic techniques (neutron diffraction, DTA, TGA and constant-heating rate sintering) were consistent with data gathered in static mode (conventional X-ray diffraction and TEM). The full process occurs in successive stages: (a) kaolinite dehydroxylation yielding metakaolinite in the ∼400–650 °C temperature range, (b) nucleation of mullite in the temperature range ∼980–992 to ∼1121 °C (primary mullite) side by side with a crystalline cubic phase (Si-Al spinel) detected in the ∼983–1030 °C temperature interval; (c) growth of mullite crystals from ∼1136 °C, (d) high (or β) cristobalite crystallization at T > ∼1200 °C and (e) secondary mullite crystallization at T > ∼1300 °C. The calculated activation energy for the kaolinite dehydration was 115 kJ/mol; for the mullite nucleation was 278 kJ/mol and for the growth of mullite process was 87 kJ/mol; finally for cristobalite nucleation the calculated apparent activation energy was 481 kJ/mol.     

Electrophoretic deposition of hydroxyapatite nanostructured coatings with controlled porosity

Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings with controlled porosity were prepared by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method. Carbon black (CB) particles were used as the sacrificial template (porogen agent). Two component suspensions containing different concentrations of HA and CB particles were prepared in isopropanol. It was found that the finer and positively charged HA nanoparticles are heterocoagulated on the coarser and negatively charged CB particles to form CB–HA composite particles with net positive charge. The deposition rate from the suspensions with WR (C_CB/C_HA ratio) of 0.25 was faster than that of those with WR: 0.5 at initial times of EPD. However the situation was reversed at longer EPD times. It was also found that the amount of porosity in the coatings increases as the CB concentration in the suspension increases (15%, 24%, 31%, 43% for the coatings deposited from the suspensions with 20 g/L HA nanoparticles and 0, 5, 10 and 20 g/L CB particles, respectively).     

Multiple charging of ultrafine particles in a corona charger

The charge distribution on ultrafine aerosol particles in the size range below 35 nm has been measured using a corona-based unipolar charger, in which ion generation and aerosol charging take place simultaneously in the region around a sharp-point discharge electrode. The mean number of charges per particle predicted by Fuchs’ diffusion charging theory is in relatively good agreement with the experimental results, and this implies that diffusion charging is the predominant mechanism in spite that the electric field in the charging region is very high. Since a steady state is unattainable in unipolar charging, the charge distribution depends on the geometry and operating conditions of each particular charger. When the present device operates under the conditions (nt-product) which yield the maximum charging efficiency, double charge appears on particles with diameter as small as 15 nm. At larger values of nt, 32 nm particles can acquire up to five charges. The critical particle diameter above which multiple charging occurs is about four times smaller than for bipolar radioactive chargers. In order to use corona charging in aerosol particle size measurement by electrical methods, the required mobility data inversion is thus straightforward for particle diameter below about 15 nm, but becomes quite complex for larger sizes.     

Electrophoretic deposition of titania–carbon nanotubes nanocomposite coatings in different alcohols

The suspensions of titania nanoparticles in different alcohols (methanol, ethanol and butanol) were prepared using triethanolamine (TEA) as a dispersant. The optimum concentration of TEA was 16.67, 8 and 0.33 mL/L in methanol, ethanol and butanol, respectively. Two component suspensions of titania (20 g/L) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1 g/L) were prepared in different alcohols without and with optimum concentration of TEA. The finer and positively charged titania nanoparticles were heterocoagulated on the surface of coarser and negatively charged CNTs and generated the titania–CNT composite particles with the net positive charge. In the presence of TEA, titania nanoparticles completely covered CNTs surface due to their higher positive surface charge. At same CNT concentration, the deposition rate was faster for suspensions with TEA additive due to the faster mobility of the composite particles. The photocatalysis efficiency of coatings for methylene blue degradation increased as CNTs were incorporated in their microstructure.     

Synthesis of nanometer-sized hexagonal disk-shaped ZnO in formic acid using a hydrothermal method and its optical properties

This study focused on the stable synthesis of nanometer-sized hexagonal disk-like ZnO, which can be utilized as the working electrode in DSSCs (dye-sensitized solar cells). Nanometer-sized zinc oxides, ZnOs, were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal treatment at 150, 200, and 250 °C for 8 h, and their morphologies were controlled by using different pHs, pH = 2, 3, and 4, with the addition of formic acid. The TEM (transmission electron microscopy) results reveal that the as-prepared particles at pH = 3 are hexagonal disk-shaped and the crystallite sizes are 40 nm measured across the diagonal. However, the shapes were different at the other pHs; nanoneedles at pH = 2 and hexagonal columns at pH = 4. The patterns of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the ZnOs varied according to their shapes; two types of emitting bands were observed in the case of the hexagonal nanodisks and columns at around 386–415 nm (violet) and 540–567 nm (green), respectively.     

Coupled CFD–DEM of particle-laden flows in a turning flow with a moving wall

The nature of the particle–solid interactions and particle–fluid interactions in rectangular duct bend geometry with/without a moving wall is studied, taking into account particle collision, colloidal, and hydrodynamic forces, and four way coupling between the fluid flow and particles. The focus is on systems where particles and fluid phase have similar length scales, fluid Reynolds number (Re_f) ∼ 1, and particle's Stokes number (St) ∼ 1. Particles move toward the walls of the channel near the bend, and have long residence times in these regions. Buoyancy force has negligible effect on particle motion, where adhesion and drag forces lead to particle motion and agglomeration patterns. The effect of a free surface on agglomeration sites in the turning flow is elucidated.     

Charge distributions of aerosol dioctyl sebacate particles charged in a dielectric barrier discharger

The collection efficiencies of submicron aerosol particles using a two-stage, dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) type electrostatic precipitator have been reported previously [Byeon et al. (2006). Collection of submicron particles by an electrostatic precipitator using a dielectric barrier discharge. Journal of Aerosol Science, 37, 1618–1628]. In this paper, the charge distributions of aerosol dioctyl sebacate (DOS) particles, which had a mobility equivalent diameter of 118, 175, and 241 nm and were charged in a DBD charger, were examined using a tandem differential mobility analyzer (TDMA) system at applied voltages of 9–11 kV and frequencies of 60–120 Hz. The mean number of elementary charges for positively or negatively charged particles increased slightly with increasing applied voltage or frequency. However, the number of elementary charges increased significantly with increasing particle size. At any applied voltage and frequency, the charge distributions of these particles of these sizes indicated asymmetric bipolar charging. The positive-to-negative charge ratios were 10.4, 4.7, and 3.0 for particle sizes of 118, 175, and 241 nm, respectively, at a DBD voltage and frequency was 9 kV and 60 Hz, respectively. Fluorometric analysis showed that average positive-to-negative charge ratios were 11.5, 4.9, and 3.7 for particle sizes of 118, 175, and 241 nm, which agrees well with the TDMA results. Further fluorometric analyses with larger particles (514 and 710 nm) and higher frequencies (1 and 2 kHz) showed that the positive-to-negative charge ratio reached almost unity with increasing particle size or frequency.     

Alginate/BSA/montmorillonite composites with enhanced protein entrapment and controlled release efficiency

Novel pH sensitive alginate–protein–clay composite beads were investigated for the in vitro oral delivery of the model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA). X-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed that BSA enter between layers of montmorillonite (MMT) by expanding interlayer distance and finally an exfoliated structure forms in the alginate hydrogel. MMT incorporation increases protein entrapment efficiency to 78%, compared to 40% of conventional alginate beads. The release ratio of BSA from composite beads is 9–13% depending on MMT contents after around a 2 h stay in gastric fluid. More importantly, no BSA release is detected until 60–90 min after the first contact time of beads with gastric solution. The presence of clay in alginate beads prevents burst release in higher pH of intestine by slowing release rate of BSA to 45–55% within around 9 h, resulting in a potential matrix for intestinal release of protein drugs.     

Investigation of the corrosion protection behavior of natural montmorillonite clay/bitumen nanocomposite coatings

The influence of clay particles on the corrosion properties of bituminous coating was studied. Different percentages of natural montmorillonite clay (Cloisite Na⁺) were added to emulsified bitumen in water to make 2 wt.%, 3 wt.% and 4 wt.% of clay/bitumen nanocomposite coatings. The coatings were applied on steel 37. Optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to study the structure of nanocomposite. To investigate the anti-corrosion properties of the coated panels, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used. The findings indicated that the addition of clay nanolayers improved corrosion resistance of the coatings. Moreover, increasing clay loading up to 4 wt.%, increased the corrosion resistance.