Effect of Surface Active Agent on Defibering for Sepiolite Fiber Bundles

Abstract

The cationic surfactant-octadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride was added to the mixture of sepiolite powders and water with mechanical stirring. The effect of cationic surfactant on the defibering of fiber bundles was studied. The samples were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), bulk density, scanning electron microscope (SEM), FT-IR spectrum (FTIR) and thermal conductivity. The results indicated that the surface active agent could protect the structure of sepiolite fibers effectively, the bulk density and the thermal conductivity of the fibers could reach 0.06g/cm3 and 0.042W/(m.K), respectively.