In current practical applications, the classification of attapulgite clay is mainly based on its functions and uses. Colloidal attapulgite clay, combined with other soft clays and suitable additives, can be used in thin-layer coatings such as EPC coatings for casting, anti-corrosion coatings at certain high temperatures, insulation coatings, and anti-oxidation coatings.
Special clays have successfully demonstrated their use as rheological additives in paint and coatings systems. Sepiolite, attapulgite and smectites make up a particular silicate subgroup in the clay family. All of them, under the appropriate processing conditions, produce gel structures that are capable of behaving as shear thinning and thixotropic fluids.
