Liquid phase exfoliation of talc : effect of the medium on flake size and shape.

Abstract

Industrial applications of nanomaterials require large-scale production methods, such as liquid phase exfoliation (LPE). Regarding

this, it is imperative to characterize the obtained materials to tailor parameters such as exfoliation medium, duration, and mechani- cal energy source to the desired applications. This work presents results of statistical analyses of talc flakes obtained by LPE in four

different media. Talc is a phyllosilicate that can be exfoliated into nanoflakes with great mechanical properties. Sodium cholate at

two different concentrations (below and at the critical micelar concentration), butanone, and Triton-X100 were employed as exfoli- ation medium for talc. Using recent published statistical analysis methods based on atomic force microscopy images of thousands

of flakes, the shape and size distribution of nanotalc obtained using the four different media are compared. This comparison high- lights the strengths and weaknesses of the media tested and hopefully will facilitate the choice of the medium for applications that

have specific requirements.