Abstract
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. The crystals can be delaminated and even exfoliated into single layers, and after proper chemical modifications, they can be applied in more sophisticated applications than at present. The objective of this chapter is to present the basic characteristics of clay minerals’ structures, properties, and the possible reactions involved, paying special attention to surface chemical modifications of micrometric bulk particles or single layers, to aggregate value and increase the applications of this fascinating class of materials.
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