A mechanical ball-milling method for preparing a polydopamine-modified montmorillonite nanomaterial is disclosed. The method includes dispersing a montmorillonite material in an aqueous solution, stirring, concentrating and collecting a concentrated montmorillonite solution for use; adding dopamine hydrochloride to a buffer solution to prepare a dopamine hydrochloride solution, with a concentration of 0.2-1 g/mL, and adjusting the pH value of the dopamine hydrochloride solution; and adding the dopamine hydrochloride solution and the concentrated montmorillonite solution simultaneously into a ball mill jar to form a mixture, and then subjecting the mixture to a ball milling for 0.3-6 hours, pouring the mixture out of the ball mill jar, and subjecting to a solid-liquid separation by a centrifugation, and then washing a solid product with deionized water for 3-6 times, and removing water from the solid product, to obtain the polydopamine-modified montmorillonite nanomaterial.

A mechanical ball-milling method for preparing a polydopamine-modified montmorillonite nanomaterial is disclosed. The method includes dispersing a montmorillonite material in an aqueous solution, stirring, concentrating and collecting a concentrated montmorillonite solution for use; adding dopamine hydrochloride to a buffer solution to prepare a dopamine hydrochloride solution, with a concentration of 0.2-1 g/mL, and adjusting the pH value of the dopamine hydrochloride solution; and adding the dopamine hydrochloride solution and the concentrated montmorillonite solution simultaneously into a ball mill jar to form a mixture, and then subjecting the mixture to a ball milling for 0.3-6 hours, pouring the mixture out of the ball mill jar, and subjecting to a solid-liquid separation by a centrifugation, and then washing a solid product with deionized water for 3-6 times, and removing water from the solid product, to obtain the polydopamine-modified montmorillonite nanomaterial.

Disclosed is a method for modifying bentonite to allow the bentonite to be useful in drilling mud applications. The method includes the steps of: preparing bentonite local to Saudi Arabia using raw water to remove contaminants from the bentonite; grinding the bentonite to a fine powder; sieving the fine powder to be between about 50 μm and about 150 μm in particle size to produce a sieved fine powder; mixing the sieved fine powder with polyanionic cellulose polymer to produce a modified bentonite composition; adding the modified bentonite composition to water until a homogeneous solution of modified bentonite in water is formed; and allowing the homogeneous solution of modified bentonite in water to rest for about 16 hours to form a composition useful in drilling mud applications.

Disclosed is a method for modifying bentonite to allow the bentonite to be useful in drilling mud applications. The method includes the steps of: preparing bentonite local to Saudi Arabia using raw water to remove contaminants from the bentonite; grinding the bentonite to a fine powder; sieving the fine powder to be between about 50 μm and about 150 μm in particle size to produce a sieved fine powder; mixing the sieved fine powder with polyanionic cellulose polymer to produce a modified bentonite composition; adding the modified bentonite composition to water until a homogeneous solution of modified bentonite in water is formed; and allowing the homogeneous solution of modified bentonite in water to rest for about 16 hours to form a composition useful in drilling mud applications.

A method for producing nano-clays comprising forming a mixture of a clay and water, wherein water is present in an amount of from 2 to 10% by weight of the total weight of clay and water, and milling the mixture of clay and water in the presence of a grinding media to form the nano-clay.

A method for producing nano-clays comprising forming a mixture of a clay and water, wherein water is present in an amount of from 2 to 10% by weight of the total weight of clay and water, and milling the mixture of clay and water in the presence of a grinding media to form the nano-clay.

The present disclosure provides a modified montmorillonite self-repairing agent and a preparation method and use thereof, and belongs to the technical field of cement repairing materials. Montmorillonite is mixed with water, such that water is fully adsorbed between montmorillonite layers. The structure of montmorillonite is modified by supercritical CO.sub.2 treatment at a temperature of 50-60° C. and a pressure of 8-12 MPa, and the self-repairing efficiency of cement is improved by adding the modified montmorillonite into cement. Supercritical CO.sub.2 is adsorbed by montmorillonite, such that the montmorillonite is activated and an interlayer distance is increased to improve the repairing efficiency. When a crack is formed in cement, the adsorbed supercritical CO.sub.2 in montmorillonite is released into the crack and combined with positive ions to generate carbonate deposition, such that the crack is sealed and the self-repairing activity of the cement is improved. Results of examples show that carbonate microcrystals are generated in the modified montmorillonite self-repairing agent provided by the present disclosure. The generated carbonate microcrystals serve as “active sites” that induce additional carbonate precipitation, which is beneficial for crack sealing.

The present disclosure provides a modified montmorillonite self-repairing agent and a preparation method and use thereof, and belongs to the technical field of cement repairing materials. Montmorillonite is mixed with water, such that water is fully adsorbed between montmorillonite layers. The structure of montmorillonite is modified by supercritical CO.sub.2 treatment at a temperature of 50-60° C. and a pressure of 8-12 MPa, and the self-repairing efficiency of cement is improved by adding the modified montmorillonite into cement. Supercritical CO.sub.2 is adsorbed by montmorillonite, such that the montmorillonite is activated and an interlayer distance is increased to improve the repairing efficiency. When a crack is formed in cement, the adsorbed supercritical CO.sub.2 in montmorillonite is released into the crack and combined with positive ions to generate carbonate deposition, such that the crack is sealed and the self-repairing activity of the cement is improved. Results of examples show that carbonate microcrystals are generated in the modified montmorillonite self-repairing agent provided by the present disclosure. The generated carbonate microcrystals serve as “active sites” that induce additional carbonate precipitation, which is beneficial for crack sealing.

According to the present disclosure, a method of forming an exfoliated or intercalated filler material is provided, wherein the said method comprises the steps of mixing particles of filler material such as montmorillonite (MMT), mica, layered double hydroxide (LDH), and attapulgite (AT) dispersed in an aqueous medium with cationic acrylate monomers to form modified particles comprising positively charged ions, dispersing the modified particles in organic medium to form a dispersion, contacting said dispersion with an organo-silicate such as tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and a functionalizing agent comprising an organo-silane such as aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS), in the presence of a basic catalyst to form a layer of silica on the modified particles. The present disclosure also relates to an exfoliated or intercalated filler material obtained by the said method as well as a method of forming a resin/clay nanocomposite.

According to the present disclosure, a method of forming an exfoliated or intercalated filler material is provided, wherein the said method comprises the steps of mixing particles of filler material such as montmorillonite (MMT), mica, layered double hydroxide (LDH), and attapulgite (AT) dispersed in an aqueous medium with cationic acrylate monomers to form modified particles comprising positively charged ions, dispersing the modified particles in organic medium to form a dispersion, contacting said dispersion with an organo-silicate such as tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and a functionalizing agent comprising an organo-silane such as aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS), in the presence of a basic catalyst to form a layer of silica on the modified particles. The present disclosure also relates to an exfoliated or intercalated filler material obtained by the said method as well as a method of forming a resin/clay nanocomposite.