Halloysite is used in many different fields such as the production of high quality ceramics, the preparation of glossy glazes, agricultural applications, polymer composites, active substance transport in paints and controlled drug release studies, thanks to its physicochemical properties, tube structure, ion exchange capacity and hydrophilicity.
It is known by many studies that the structures using modified HNT increase the mechanical and thermal resistance performance, reduce gas and liquid permeability, and improve the performance of flame retardant products.
In this study, the production of different halloysite materials / polymers to be used in ceramic production and the performance of the final product will be analyzed.
In the first stage, chemical and mineralogical characterizations were made in order to determine whether halloysites are compatible with the modification. As a result of the characterizations, it was seen that the Biga Peninsula (Çanakkale, Türkiye) halloysite samples were suitable for modification.
Chemical analysis results of Biga Peninsula halloysite sample: SiO2 47.66%- 45.82% - Al2O3 36.29% -38.05% and it was found to contain traces of impurities. Halloysite samples were modified with Triton X-100. 30 g Halloysit is added to 3 liters of distilled water and mixed in a water bath for 30 minutes. 4.5g Triton X-100 is added to the prepared solution and mixed at 65^oC for 12 hours. Then the solution is filtered through the blue band and washed several times with distilled water. It is left to dry for 12 hours in an oven at 60^oC. For the modification process, the layer openings of 7A^o with silanation reactions were measured as 9.67 and 10.17A^o.
In order to examine the strength-enhancing properties of halloysite, composition studies were carried out with both modified and unmodified halloysites by reducing the Biga Peninsula sample by 0.5-1-1.5% instead of Kaolin in Wall Tile recipes. After the study, the effect of water absorption, % shrinkage and strength on the wall tile was investigated. According to the results obtained, it was observed that the use of modified halloysite in existing wall tiles reduced the firing shrinkage by 0.08% and the water absorption by 2%. When the effect on the strength as the most important output of the study was examined, it was measured that the use of 1% modified halloysite increased the strength by 29% from the current situation.
As a result, it was concluded that Modified Halloysite can be used instead of the existing kaolin by reducing it in the production of products with water absorption, firing shrinkage and especially strength problems.