Abstract
The viscosities of dilute allophane and imogolite clay suspensions were determined in order to infer the shape and size of these minerals in the suspension. The viscosity determination for montmorillonite and halloysite suspensions was also carried out for comparison.
The determined viscosity of clay suspension was different from one clay mineral to another and decreased in the order imogolite>>montmorillonite>allophane>halloysite, The Einstein equation was applied to the viscosity of clay suspension with some modifications, and the particle shape of each clay mineral was inferred by assuming an appropriate amount of hydration water for each mineral. The inferred particle shape of montmorillonite and halloysite accords with their platy and spherical shape, respectively. The particles of allophane and imogolite were inferred as discs and threads, respectively. It was suggested that these minerals are present as aggregates of their structural units even in dilute suspensions.
