Synthetic functionalized additives may comprise a layered magnesium silicate. The layered magnesium silicate may comprise a first functionalized silicate layer comprising a first tetrahedral silicate layer covalently bonded to at least two different functional groups, an octahedral brucite layer, and a second functionalized silicate layer comprising a second tetrahedral silicate layer covalently bonded to at least two different functional groups. A drilling fluid may comprise the synthetic functionalized additive.

The invention relates to a process for delamination of a layered silicate in an aqueous medium, wherein in a first step a layered silicate is treated with a delamination agent, and in a second step the thus treated layered silicate is contacted with an aqueous medium, whereby the delamination agent is a compound having exactly one positively charged atom, the positively charged atom being selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and phosphorous; contains n.sub.f functional groups selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl groups, ether groups, sulfonic acid ester groups and carboxylic acid ester groups, n.sub.f being a number from 3 to 10; comprises a total number of carbon atoms n.sub.c being from 4 to 12; has a ratio n.sub.c/(1+n.sub.f) from 1 to 2, wherein n.sub.c is the total number of carbon atoms of the delamination agent and n.sub.f is the total number of functional groups in the delamination agent as defined under ii.; contains n.sub.t atoms selected from the group consisting of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, oxygen and sulfur, n.sub.t being 9; and wherein the delamination agent is used to treat the layered silicate in an amount of at least equal to the cation exchange capacity of the layered silicate. The invention further relates to the thus produced delaminated layered silicates, their use in the production of composite and coating material and as a barrier material. Moreover, the invention relates to compositions containing the thus produced delaminated layered silicates.

A process for delamination of a layered silicate in an aqueous medium includes treating a synthetic or naturally occurring 2:1 clay mineral layered silicate with a delamination agent, and contacting the treated layered silicate with an aqueous medium. An amount of the delamination agent used to treat the layered silicate can be at least equal to the cation exchange capacity of the layered silicate. A delaminated layered silicate can be obtained from the process and provided in a dispersion, a composite, or a barrier.

A silicate-coated body has a substrate, silica and/or a silica modified product adhered to a surface of the substrate, and a first silicate coating at least part of the substrate via the silica and/or the silica modified product.

The present invention relates to a method for producing synthetic hectorite at a low temperature and atmospheric pressure and synthetic hectorite produced by the same, and more particularly, to a method for producing synthetic hectorite and synthetic hectorite produced by the same in which: a step of forming LiMg precipitates is introduced and thereby ensures an improved crystallization reaction condition and synthetic hectorite having excellent properties; and composition ratios of reactants are controlled, and thus, property control is easy.

The invention has for its object to use an evaporation-spray drying process thereby providing layered silicate powder granules, each one containing a flat particle having an opening or recess in its surface center. Each of the layered silicate powder granule contains a flat particle including a layered silicate formed by evaporation-spray drying and a rheology modifier for modifying the crystal edge face of the layered silicate and having an opening or recess in its surface center.

Atomic forcipes is a nanomechanical magnetoelectric element having an insulator, an atom-thick conductive graphene sheet suspended as a heterostructure onto the insulator, and a gallery between the insulator and the graphene sheet. Atomic forcipes can be actuated acoustically or electromagnetically. Activation generates a chemical potential of directionally enhanced chemical reaction rate. Atomic forcipes can be formed by selecting enhanced graphene having a particle size, providing piezoelectric smectite clay of the particle size, combining graphene particles with clay, adding a compatibilizer, and irradiating with ultrasound, UV, or microwaves. Isotope separation apparatus and methods are supported by atomic forcipes. A method by mixing an aqueous phase suspension of atomic forcipes with nuclear magnetic isotope (NMI) ions, applying ultrasound to promote NMI ion intercalation, applying ultraviolet light to generate free radicals on the NMI ions, and extracting enriched NMI ions from the piezoelectric sheets. Another method employs nuclear spin using nuclear magnetic stiction.

The present invention relates to a low-temperature/atmospheric-pressure method for producing synthetic hectorite and synthetic hectorite produced using the same, and more particularly, provides a method for producing synthetic hectorite at a low temperature and atmospheric pressure and synthetic hectorite produced using the same such that: a crystallization reaction may be carried out under a low-temperature/atmospheric-pressure condition by introducing a step of forming a precipitate and using a weak basic catalyst when the LiMg precipitates are formed; a reaction time may be reduced; synthetic hectorite with excellent major application properties may be prepared; and the properties may be easily controlled by controlling a composition ratio of a reactant.

Compositions, processes, and methods are provided including, but not limited to, a composition including a plurality of clay nanoparticles, wherein each clay nanoparticle comprises an anionic component and a cationic component wherein the anionic component has the formula (I):
[(Si.sub.8Mg.sub.bLi.sub.c)O.sub.20(OH).sub.4](I) wherein 5.5<b?6, and wherein c>0 and b/c>12.

The invention relates to material comprising a layered material having the composition Na.sub.x[Mg.sub.3-zLi.sub.y]Si.sub.4O.sub.10(T).sub.2, wherein x is in the range of 0.4 to 0.8, y is in the range of 0.0 to 0.8, 5z is in the range of 0.2 to 0.8, T independent of each occurrence represents F or OH, and x+(3?z)+y?4, wherein the powder X-ray diffraction pattern of the layered material has a 001 peak in the range of 8.00 to 5.88? 2Theta, and wherein the 001 peak has a full width at half of the peak maximum 10 of larger than 0.10?, and wherein the layered material has a Z-average particle size of 500 nm or higher, determined by dynamic laser light scattering on an aqueous dispersion of the material containing at most 1.5% by weight of the material.