Electrokinetic properties of soil minerals and soils modified with polyelectrolytes

The formation features of nanoadsorption polyelectrolyte (PE) layers with the formation of a mineral-organic matrix on the surface of clay minerals and soils (kaolinite, montmorillonite, quartz sand, gray forest soil, and chernozemic soil) have been elucidated by direct adsorption measurements. It has been found that the experimental values for the limit adsorption of polyacrylamide (PAM) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) on all the minerals are significantly higher than the calculated values for the formation of a monolayer. This indicates adsorption on the surface of not only separate macromolecules but also secondary PE structures as packets or fibrils determining the cluster-matrix structure of the modified surface. The study of the electro-surface properties (electrophoretic mobility, electrokinetic potential, pH, and electroconductivity) of mineral and soil particles adsorption-modified with PEs has confirmed the differences in the adsorption mechanisms (from physical sorption to chemisorption) with the formation of surface compounds depending on the different polar groups of PEs and the mineral type.