This review summarizes several aspects of the interactions between organic dyes and clay minerals, and presents some interesting properties of hybrid materials based on these components. It explains the basic phenomena and photophysical properties of dye/clay mineral hybrid systems (DCHS) while examining the role of clay minerals in them. A brief history of using dyes as tools for clay research and on traditional materials based on DCHS is presented. Metachromasy, the phenomenon of colour change related to the formation of dye molecular aggregates is described in detail and analysed from various perspectives. The properties of DCHS, including photoactivity, luminescence, photocatalytic properties, optical anisotropy and non-linear optical properties are analysed in detail. Clay minerals often play a significant role in the occurrence of specific photophysical phenomena such as resonance energy transfer and luminescence quenching and may influence various reactions, such as conformational changes in dye molecules, photochromism, photoisomerization, photosensitization and other photochemical processes. Routes to synthesize various types of hybrid materials are also described here. The relevance of DCHS for clay research, chemistry and materials science is summarized briefly.

During solventless alkylation of phenol with 4-hydroxy-2-butanone under microwave irradiation, paratoluenesulfonic acid (pTSA)-modified montmorillonite clays gave, regioselectively, 4-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone (raspberry ketone). The duration for this reaction under microwave irradiation is much shorter than that of the conventional method. A comparative study of the alkylation reaction over a montmorillonite clay sample treated with 0.5 M-pTSA (0.5 M-pTSA clay) with that of Al-exchanged montmorillonite (Al3+-Mont) and beta-zeolite (HB) was carried out. The results show that the reaction time to reach equilibrium and the product distribution pattern for the reaction over 0.5 M-pTSA clay were similar to those values for the HB. Micropores formed on the clay surface during the pTSA treatment were found to enhance the rate of formation of C-alkylation. Micropores appear to enable better access to the active sites during the course of reaction.

Coatings with the composition of Li-Al-NO3 hydrotalcite were formed on the Al alloy 6060 using a spray system. The coatings consist of crystals with a typical hydrotalcite structure. Dense, uniform and blade-like flakes cover completely the surface of the Al substrate. The coatings display a multi-layer structure with average thickness of ∼1000 nm. The hydrotalcite-coated samples performed better than those without coatings in salt-spray and filiform-corrosion tests, and further treatment involving sealing with a Mg acetate solution and dipping in a H2O2 + Ce-based solution improved the corrosion resistance ability.

Thirty clay samples collected from three hills in Koutaba (west Cameroon) were characterized in order to evaluate their potential use as raw materials for ceramics. After preliminary mineralogical identification by X-ray diffraction, three representative samples from the three different hills, referred to hereafter as K1M, K2M and K3M, were selected for further investigation by X-ray fluorescence, plasticity, granularity and thermogravimetric analysis. The main clay minerals are kaolinite (32–51%) and illite (up to 12%). Additional major phases are quartz (32–52%), goethite (6–7%) and feldspars (0–4%). The chemical composition showed variable amounts of SiO2 (60–72%), Al2O3 (15–20%) and Fe2O3 (1–9%), in accordance with the quartz abundance in all of the samples studied. The particle-size distribution showed a large proportion of silty fraction (64–88%) with moderate sandy (9–19%) and clayey fractions ( < 5% for K2M, 12% for K1M and 20% for K3M). All of the clays showed moderate plasticity-index values (8–11%). Because of these characteristics, K1M and K3M may be suitable for use in common bricks and hollow ceramic products. Sieving or the addition of ball clays is recommended to increase the plasticity of sample K2M for use in common bricks.

The mineralogy and crystal chemistry of a new talc ore deposit situated at Thu Ngac commune, Thanh Son district, Phu Tho province, Vietnam, was investigated using X-ray fluorescence, electron microprobe, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (29Si and 1H) and colorimetry.

Both chemical and crystal-chemical analyses showed that the talcs from the Phu Tho province are very pure because they contain few accessory minerals (chlorite, amphibole and goethite) and few substitutions of Si by Fe and Al in their crystal structure. The talc ore may well meet the standards required for a wide range of industrial applications.

Deformed quartzitic rocks from the Carboneras and Palomares fault areas (SE Spain) are enriched in phyllosilicates compared to their respective protoliths. Deformation is mainly localized in highly foliated chlorite-rich bands. Quartz-rich bands show brittle deformation developing dolomite-rich cross-cutting veins re-cementing microcataclasite areas. Undamaged lenses within the cataclastic rocks contain patches of phyllosilicates with randomly oriented chlorite and mica. Mg, Fe, water, As and Zn enrichment of the damaged rocks suggests a process of hydrothermal chloritization associated with the Cabo de Gata volcanism. Petrographic characteristics indicate that hydrothermal alteration that produced chlorite and mica-enrichment occurred before faulting. Phyllosilicates provided lubricating properties to the quartzitic rocks, favouring the predominance of creep over seismic stick-slip and reducing the possibility of large seismogenic events. Dolomite cementation as a consequence of fluid–rock interaction processes would have a limited effect, due to the presence of weak phyllosilicate surfaces.

An Iranian sepiolite was activated with 1.5 M HCl. During activation, the specific surface area increased from 105 to 168 m2/g and the SiO2 content increased from 45.4 to 51.6%. The roles of temperature and time and the amount of acid-activated sepiolite used, were investigated and the optimum conditions, where chlorophyll, β-carotene, free fatty acid and peroxide were at their minimum levels, were determined for bleaching of canola oil by applying response surface methodology (RSM). Optimum bleaching conditions were obtained by adding 3% of acid-activated sepiolite at a temperature of 110°C with a bleaching time of 42.46 min during which, the amount of chlorophyll-α, β-carotene, free fatty acid and peroxide were reduced from 12.30 to 0.35 mg/kg, 49.15 to 14.98 mg/kg, 0.62 to 0.15%, and 3.87 to 2.14 meq O2/kg of oil, respectively. At optimum conditions, sepiolite displayed a greater capacity for removal of chlorophyll and β-carotene than a commercial bentonite bleaching agent.

Smectitic clays from the Sabga and Bana areas, western Cameroon were treated with sulfuric-acid solutions of various concentrations – 0.5, 0.7, 1.0 and 4.0 N – at 80°C for 2 h. The mineralogical, physicochemical and morphological characteristics of the samples treated were analysed using several techniques. The sulfuric acid caused structural modification of the dioctahedral smectite. The accessory minerals such as cristobalite, quartz, feldspars and anatase remained unaltered by the acid attack. The supernatant solutions after acid treatment contain Mg, Ca, K, Na, Si, Al and Fe as a result of partial dissolution of octahedral and tetrahedral cations. The activated clay samples exhibited a smaller cation exchange capacity (CEC) and the specific surface area (SSA) increased with increasing concentration of sulfuric acid, ranging from 65 to 134 m2/g for the sample from Bana and from 74 to 84 m2/g for the sample from Sabga. The different SSAvalues were affected by the relative abundance of smectite and cristobalite (SiO2/Al2O3 = 2.2 and 6.5, respectively, from Bana and Sabga). The activated clays from Bana and Sabga displayed interesting physicochemical and textural properties and can be considered as promising adsorbents for the bleaching of vegetable oils.

Kaolin wastes from the Capim and Jari regions (Brazil) were used to produce sodalite under the same conditions used in the Bayer process, in order to control its formation when necessary. Of the two kaolin source materials, the kaolinite from the Jari region was more reactive in the synthesis of sodalite, which is attributed to the low degree of structural order of this clay mineral which increased its reactivity. At a temperature of 150°C and with a Na/Al ratio of 2, although the kaolinite did not react completely, sodalitewas the primary reaction product. An increase in the temperature to 200°C provoked the complete reaction of the kaolinite only for the products in which carbonate and sulfate were used. With a Na/Al ratio >2 and for both of the temperatures, the kaolinite reacted completely to form sodalite.