Kaolinite

• Catalog Number: ALC-FP-0007
• Category: Featured Products
• Appearance: White powder
• Sample Lot No.: A24C416EA
• Size: D50: 0.35 um, D90: 2.01 um

Case Study

Kaolinite for Foliar Application in Physiological Modulation of Cherry Tree Leaves

González-Illanes T, et al. Plant Stress, 2026, 19, 101235.

This study investigated the experimental application of kaolinite as a foliar treatment to evaluate its physicochemical and physiological effects on field-grown cherry trees (Prunus avium var. Sweetheart). Kaolinite suspensions (5, 10, and 15% w/v), with particle sizes comparable to calcite, were applied by leaf dipping for 10 s to ensure uniform surface coverage. Treatments were conducted with and without 0.1% surfactant under controlled field conditions using a randomized split-plot design. Key physiological parameters, including stomatal conductance, leaf temperature, and chlorophyll fluorescence, were monitored over time, while leaf mineral composition was analyzed at the end of the experiment. Surface wettability and free energy of adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces were also characterized. The inclusion of surfactant significantly improved kaolinite particle dispersion and adhesion, enhancing foliar uptake of Al and Si without inducing photosynthetic stress. These results demonstrate the methodological feasibility and physiological compatibility of kaolinite-based foliar sprays in plant stress management studies.

Kaolinite-Based Ternary Composite for Efficient Catalytic Hydrogenation Reaction

Li X, et al. Applied Clay Science, 2026, 284, 108132.

A kaolinite-based ternary composite (FK/ATO/MoS₂) was successfully developed to evaluate the role of kaolinite as a hydrophilic and dispersive support in catalytic hydrogenation. In this study, natural kaolinite nanoflakes were first modified with antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) via a coprecipitation-calcination route. SnCl₄·5H₂O and SbCl₃ were hydrolyzed onto kaolinite under acidic conditions, followed by calcination at 700 °C to obtain a highly crystalline, conductive FK/ATO support. Subsequently, MoS₂ nanosheets were in situ grown on FK/ATO through a hydrothermal process using Na₂MoO₄·2H₂O and thioacetamide as precursors at 220 °C for 24 h. The resulting FK/ATO/MoS₂ composite was applied in the aqueous hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol, where optimized Sb doping (25%) and MoS₂ loading (50%) delivered a reaction rate constant of 0.0809 min⁻¹. The enhanced activity highlights kaolinite's critical function in promoting catalyst dispersion, interfacial contact, and mass transfer during hydrogenation reactions.

Kaolinite for the Fabrication of Radiative Cooling PMMA Composite Films

Kang D-H, et al. Progress in Organic Coatings, 2026, 211, 109783.

Kaolinite was experimentally applied as a functional inorganic filler in the fabrication of high-performance radiative cooling composite films based on porous polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). In this study, hexagonal plate-shaped kaolinite particles were incorporated into an 8 wt% PMMA/toluene solution at controlled loadings (10 wt% and 40 wt%) to tune optical and structural properties. Porous kaolinite/PMMA films were generated via gelation-induced phase separation by sandwiching the polymer solution between cured polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) slabs, enabling facile pore formation without complex templating. Composite films with different kaolinite concentrations were subsequently stacked and solvent-welded using toluene as an interfacial welding agent under mild heat (80 °C) and pressure (0.025 MPa). The resulting multilayer films exhibited high solar reflectance (~94%), attributed to the intrinsic whiteness and light-scattering geometry of kaolinite combined with the porous PMMA matrix. This work highlights kaolinite's practical value in scalable radiative cooling film fabrication.