Structural and Morphological Characterization of the PP-0559 Kaolinite from the Brazilian Amazon Region

• Main Authors: Lombardi Kátia C., Guimarães José L., Mangrich Antonio S., Mattoso Ney, Abbate Miguel, Schreiner Wido H., Wypych Fernando
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Química 2002-01-01
• Series: Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society
• Subjects: kaolinite; clay minerals; EPR spectroscopy
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-50532002000200021

We report a structural and morphological characterization of the natural kaolinite PP-0559, from the Brazilian Amazon region, with the aim to contribute to the understanding of this clay mineral in environmental redox reactions. The triclinic structure was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction studies. It exhibits oriented crystals, with diameters between 0.2 and 2 mum and about 50 nm of thickness. The anisotropic crystals after orientation were studied by electron paramagnetic resonance as a function of the applied magnetic field. The main EPR absorption lines of the substitutional Fe+3 impurity and radiation induced paramagnetic centers were studied as possible oxidizing centers of kaolinite.