The mechanochemical reactions between CsF and kaolinite

The grinding of a mixture containing kaolinite and CsF was carried out by three different techniques, short manual grinding, Fisher mechanical mortar and Retsch ball mill. In addition to different cesium aluminium silicates which were detected by X-ray powder diffraction, a new type of intercalation complex was identified by FTIR spectroscopy. The X-ray diffractogram of this complex did not show any basal spacing, which may characterize the complex but the 0.715 nm characteristic peak of the untreated kaolinite became very weak. The Retsch ball mill led to a slight destruction of the kaolinite and the formation of small amounts of the new intercalation complex. The delamination of book-like kaolinite assemblages was observed after the manual and Fisher mortar grindings. In the latter grinding techniques the kaolin-like layers persisted and served as the framework for the intercalation complexes.