Cs Adsorption and CsCl Particle Formation Facilitated by Amino Talc-like Clay in Aqueous Solutions at Room Temperature

Abstract

Amino talc-like clay with an increased number of active sites and dispersion in a colloidal system has been synthesized and used for contaminant adsorption and support for nanoparticle formation. Amino talc-like clays having different number of layers and aminoalkyl ligands were synthesized and their Cs uptake behavior was examined. Cs uptake through Cs adsorption and CsCl particle formation facilitated by amino talc-like clay in a colloidal aqueous solution at room temperature are reported. The amino talc-like clay demonstrated better Cs uptake with a high initial Cs concentration than talc and montmorillonite. This might have been caused by a high concentration of trapped Cs and Cl ions in exfoliated amino clay, which eventually became CsCl particles. The formation of the CsCl particles in the amino clay depended on the clay concentration and ethanol treatment. The exfoliation of the basal sheets of the amino clay as a result of a high salt concentration and the protonation of amine induced by ethanol treatment was shown to be a precondition for CsCl particle formation. These results could promote amino talc-like clay for high-concentration Cs uptake and the green synthesis of Cs-halide particles in an aqueous solution.