| Abstract: | Dry grinding of illite particles has been investigated by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and nitrogen adsorption techniques. Prolonged grinding results in an amorphous illite structure and the mechanochemical effect markedly promotes a reduction in reflection intensities with increased grinding time. It is confirmed that illite is very susceptible to alteration by grinding. The illite crystal size (d006) appears to reach a limit after 2 h of grinding. N2 adsorption studies indicate that illite ground for 8 h shows a larger average pore diameter than a sample after 4 h grinding or the original illite. It is inferred that grinding is good for the formation of macrostructural pores. Illite grinding results in a decrease in the Brunauer‐Emmet‐Teller (BET) surface area and total pore volume. IR spectroscopy shows a slight alteration in the illite bands after mechanochemical processing and some new bands were detected after 4 or more hours of grinding. |
