Bentonite: Geology, Structure, Properties and Applications
A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Clays and Engineered Mineral Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 October 2023)
Special Issue Editor
Interests: chemistry and mechanics of bentonite clay; diffusion and sorption of radionuclides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Bentonite clay has a large scope of application, from cosmetics to buffer material in nuclear waste repositories. Many of the beneficial properties of bentonite are based on its principal component mineral, montmorillonite. This mineral has a very large specific surface area due to its nanometre-thick layer structure, into which water can penetrate between the layers. The penetration of water on the microscopic level causes swelling on all levels, and some types of bentonite can multiply its volume in suitable conditions. The structure of bentonite is very complicated, starting from these nano-level layers, which form aggregates, which form larger structures, until at the macroscopic level the bentonite can be rather homogenous. All of these factors lead to very complicated chemical, ion transport, and mechanical behaviour when in contact with water, when the bentonite structure changes at all levels due to swelling; this also changes the chemical condition in the pore water of bentonite.
This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for both experimental and modelling articles about bentonite geology, mineralogical composition, microstructure, and mechanics. Papers considering the bentonite buffer in spent nuclear fuel final repositories are particularly welcome. In these conditions, many beneficial properties of bentonite are needed, while the variable conditions (temperature, pressure, humidity, chemistry and density) present challenges in the prediction of bentonite behaviour. However, all other fields of application of bentonite are also welcome. Topics ranging from bentonite colloidal slurries to very tightly compacted bentonite are of interest for this Special Issue.
Prof. Dr. Markus Olin
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- bentonite
- geology
- mineralogy
- microstructure
- mechanics
- spent nuclear fuel final repository
