The morphology (e.g., basal/edge surface ratios, degree of delamination) of talc particles as layered clay minerals plays a decisive role in its usability as a filler material, especially in plastic, coating, and paint industries (Yuan & Murray 1997; Ciullo & Robinson 2003; Ferrage et al. 2003) and also on its wettability and flotation behavior (Hiçyilmaz et al. 2004).
For example, kaolin used in paper sludge and the
spherical halloysite (both kaolinite and halloysite have
1:1 types of layer structures; halloysite usually contains
some interlayer water) showed the lowest viscosity,
followed by platy kaolinite and tabular halloysite (Yuan &
Murray 1997). This indicates that the morphology of filler
particles directly affects the rheological behavior of their
suspension and, in turn, their usability. The morphology
of talc particles is dependent on different factors, such as
geological formation conditions of talc deposits (Ciullo
& Robinson 2003; Nkoumbou et al. 2008b), particle size,
grinding method, and conditions (Sanchez-Soto et al.
1997; Ferrage et al. 2003; Hicyilmaz et al. 2004; Ulusoy
2008).