The Effect of Natural Chitosan, Humate and Their Complexes on the Rheological Properties of Wet Kaolinite
- 1Department of Chemistry, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- 2Department of Physics, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- 3Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Materials and Manufacturing Technology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Abstract
Control of mechanical properties of natural clays and clayey soils under saturation with water is an important task in agriculture and geoengineering. In this study, kaolinite was modified with cationic chitosan, anionic potassium humate (PHum), and non-stoichiometric chitosan–PHum interpolyelectrolyte complexes (IPCs). The optimal composition of IPCs in terms of the ratio between positively charged chitosan groups and negatively charged potassium humate groups, Q = [NH3+]/[COO−], was determined using laser microelectrophoresis, turbidimetry, and dynamic light scattering and showed Q ≤ 0.3 for anionic IPCs and Q ≥ 3 for cationic IPCs. Amplitude tests showed that introduction of minor amounts of chitosan, not more than 0.5 wt.%, to kaolinite resulted in increased strength characteristics of wet clay by 0.5–1.5 orders of magnitude, which was due to the formation of the cooperative physical network via electrostatic interaction between positively charged chitosan and negatively charged clay particles. Binding of the same amounts of anionic PHum to kaolinite decreased the strength parameters by 0.5–1.0 orders of magnitude because of increased sliding of the clay particles. Addition of 0.25 wt.% of both cationic and anionic IPCs to kaolinite allowed the preservation of the reinforcing effect of chitosan and suppression of the weakening action of PHum. Such behavior of chitosan–PHum IPCs was likely due to redistribution of cationic chitosan between anionic PHum and kaolinite and formation of the kaolinite–chitosan–PHum ternary complex, which minimizes the destabilizing effect of PHum and improves the mechanical properties of the clay.
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BibTeX
@article{kiushov2026effect,
title = {{The Effect of Natural Chitosan, Humate and Their Complexes on the Rheological Properties of Wet Kaolinite}},
author = {Aleksandr A. Kiushov and Irina G. Panova and Vyacheslav S. Molchanov and Maxim S. Arzhakov and Leonid O. Iliasov and Olga E. Philippova and Alexander A. Yaroslavov},
journal = {Polymers},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/polym18212690},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2690},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The Effect of Natural Chitosan, Humate and Their Complexes on the Rheological Properties of Wet Kaolinite
AU - Aleksandr A. Kiushov
AU - Irina G. Panova
AU - Vyacheslav S. Molchanov
AU - Maxim S. Arzhakov
AU - Leonid O. Iliasov
AU - Olga E. Philippova
AU - Alexander A. Yaroslavov
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Polymers
DO - 10.3390/polym18212690
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2690
AB - Control of mechanical properties of natural clays and clayey soils under saturation with water is an important task in agriculture and geoengineering. In this study, kaolinite was modified with cationic chitosan, anionic potassium humate (PHum), and non-stoichiometric chitosan–PHum interpolyelectrolyte complexes (IPCs). The optimal composition of IPCs in terms of the ratio between positively charged chitosan groups and negatively charged potassium humate groups, Q = [NH3+]/[COO−], was determined using laser microelectrophoresis, turbidimetry, and dynamic light scattering and showed Q ≤ 0.3 for anionic IPCs and Q ≥ 3 for cationic IPCs. Amplitude tests showed that introduction of minor amounts of chitosan, not more than 0.5 wt.%, to kaolinite resulted in increased strength characteristics of wet clay by 0.5–1.5 orders of magnitude, which was due to the formation of the cooperative physical network via electrostatic interaction between positively charged chitosan and negatively charged clay particles. Binding of the same amounts of anionic PHum to kaolinite decreased the strength parameters by 0.5–1.0 orders of magnitude because of increased sliding of the clay particles. Addition of 0.25 wt.% of both cationic and anionic IPCs to kaolinite allowed the preservation of the reinforcing effect of chitosan and suppression of the weakening action of PHum. Such behavior of chitosan–PHum IPCs was likely due to redistribution of cationic chitosan between anionic PHum and kaolinite and formation of the kaolinite–chitosan–PHum ternary complex, which minimizes the destabilizing effect of PHum and improves the mechanical properties of the clay.
SN - 2073-4360
ER -