Compositions suitable for the purification of liquids, methods for making said compositions, and the uses of said compositions.

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.

Provided is a crystalline layered silicate, having an X-ray diffraction pattern comprising reflections at 2-theta values of (5.3±0.2)°, (8.6±0.2)°, (9.8±0.2)°, (21.7±0.2)° and (22.7±0.2). Also provided are a process for preparing the crystalline layered silicate and uses of the layered silicate. The process comprises steps of: (i) preparing a synthesis mixture comprising water, a source of Si, and a structure directing agent comprising a diethyldimethylammonium compound; (ii) subjecting the synthesis mixture obtained from (i) to hydrothermal synthesis conditions comprising heating the synthesis mixture obtained from (i) to a temperature in the range of from 110 to 180° C. and keeping the synthesis mixture at a temperature in this range under autogenous pressure for 1 to 6 days, obtaining a mother liquor comprising the crystalline layered silicate.

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.

The invention relates to a process for delamination of a layered silicate in an aqueous medium, wherein in a first step a layered silicate having a layer charge L.sub.c from 0.25 to 1.0 and a charge equivalent area A.sub.s=47.6 .sup.2/(2L.sub.c), 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 of 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 1 to 10; comprises a total number of carbon atoms n.sub.c being from 2 to 20; has a ratio n.sub.c/(1+n.sub.f) from 1 to 5, 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.; and has a charge equivalent area A.sub.d being from at least 0.90-fold to 3-fold of the charge equivalent area of the layered silicate A.sub.s; 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, with the proviso that n.sub.f2, if L.sub.c0.6. 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 solution containing an ionic liquid, a polymer compound including at least one of a hydrolyzable polymer compound and a thermally-decomposable polymer compound, and a laminate of layered substances is irradiated with at least one of sonic waves and radio waves. Alternatively, a solution containing an ionic liquid, a polymer compound including at least one of a hydrolyzable polymer compound and a thermally-decomposable polymer compound, and a laminate of layered substances is heated.

A solution containing an ionic liquid, a polymer compound including at least one of a hydrolyzable polymer compound and a thermally-decomposable polymer compound, and a laminate of layered substances is irradiated with at least one of sonic waves and radio waves. Alternatively, a solution containing an ionic liquid, a polymer compound including at least one of a hydrolyzable polymer compound and a thermally-decomposable polymer compound, and a laminate of layered substances is heated.

A sealing material including a water-resistant sheet, wherein the water-resistant sheet includes layered clay minerals having a thickness of 0.5 nm to 800 nm. A sealing material including a sheet, wherein the sheet includes modified layered clay minerals in which at least a portion of a first cation between the interlayer of swellable layered clay minerals is ion-exchanged with a second cation, in a first cation being one or more selected from Na.sup.+ and Li.sup.+. A sealing material including a sheet, wherein the sheet includes layered clay minerals having a thickness of 0.5 nm to 800 nm, and having one or more selected from K.sup.+, Ba.sup.2+ and Pb.sup.2+ are contained in at least a portion in an interlayer of the clay minerals.

A method for extracting a mineral contained in biotite. The method includes a step of freezing the biotite, followed by a step of thawing the biotite. A method for characterizing a paleoalteration, in which at least one mineral is studied that is contained in cleavages of biotite extracted from a felsic rock that is at least partially altered.

A method for drying and optionally functionalizing a synthetic phyllosilicate and the synthetic phyllosilicates obtained by and/or obtainable by said method.