THE STABILITY OF KAOLINITE-IN-WATER DISPERSIONS

The stability of a kaolinite-in-water dispersion was investigated as a function of solution pH and electrolyte concentration. The stability of the sol was measured directly using a technique which monitors the alternating portion of the transmitted light. Comparison of the measured stability with model calculations was conducted by invoking a model which predicted the potential of the edge of the kaolinite particle using the Ionizable Surface-Group model and calculated the stability using the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory. Agreement was favorable except at electrolyte concentration > 0.05 M and solution pH > 9.0.