A sodium bentonite (montmorillonite‐based layered silicate clay) was organically modified
with cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (cetrimide), using different clay/water ratios—but the
same clay/cetrimide ratio—to suspend the bentonite clay and perform its organophilization.
Infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis indicated the incorporation of organic
modifier into the bentonite. Wide‐angle X‐ray scattering showed that the incorporation of
surfactant significantly increased the interlayer spacing in the bentonite for all concentrations …

[1]. The most commonly employed layered silicate for the preparation of polymeric
nanocomposites has been montmorillonite, the main constituent of bentonite clays [2].
Economic advantages and environmental concerns are among the reasons for the interest
in bentonites, widely distributed around the world, as components for polymerbased
nanocomposites. Bentonites are sedimentary rocks consisting clay minerals, such as
montmorillonite (major constituent), beidellite, saponite, nontronite, hectorite, and nonclay …