Feb 17, 2025 · Clay mineral, any of a group of important hydrous aluminum silicates with a layer (sheetlike) structure and very small particle size. They may contain significant amounts of iron, alkali metals, or alkaline earths.

Clay minerals are hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates (e.g. kaolin, Al 2 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4), sometimes with variable amounts of iron, magnesium, alkali metals, alkaline earths, and other cations found on or near some planetary surfaces.

Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals [1] (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, Al 2 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impurities, such as a reddish or brownish colour from small amounts of iron oxide. [2][3]

Mar 15, 2021 · The small size and their distinctive crystal structure make clay minerals very special with their unique properties including high cation exchange capacity, swelling behavior, specific surface area, adsorption capacity, etc. which are described in this chapter.

Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained minerals, which develop through the weathering and alteration of rocks. It has the unique ability to expand when wet and contract upon drying, making it an essential resource for various applications.

May 1, 2023 · Clay minerals are naturally occurring minerals with a layered structure and a high surface area. They are important components of many geological materials, including rocks, soils, and sediments.

Jan 1, 2006 · The atomic structure of the clay minerals consists of two basic units, an octahedral sheet and a tetrahedral sheet. The octahedral sheet is comprised of closely packed oxygens and hydroxyls in which aluminum, iron, and magnesium atoms are arranged in …

Clay is a soft, loose, earthy material containing particles with a grain size of less than 4 micrometres (μm). It forms as a result of the weathering and erosion of rocks containing the mineral group feldspar (known as the ‘mother of clay’) over vast spans of time.

Jan 1, 2022 · Clay minerals are abundant in the world, inexpensive, and have a wide range of structures and properties, besides being environmentally friendly and having mechanical/heat stability. They have complex structures composed of two-dimensional units called layers, separated or not by intercalated cations.

Clay minerals typically only exist as very tiny crystals, so most true clays also conform to the fine-grained meaning of the word “clay”. A clay mineral is a finely crystalline sheet silicate with hydroxyl ions, and in some cases with water as part of the structure.