Hydrothermal alteration of Ti-doped forsterite to chrysotile and characterization of the resulting chrysotile fibers

This Study describes the formation of chrysotile fibers obtained from Ti-doped synthetic forsterite exposed to various hydrothermal conditions: temperature, 300-320 degrees C; pressure 0.5-2 kbar; duration of treatment 4-16 days; pH 5.5 - 7. Ti-doped synthetic forsterite was prepared by the flux growth technique, and characterized in detail before being used as starting material in hydrothermal synthesis. The starting material and run products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy with an energy-dispersive spectrometer. Variations observed in fiber size and morphological shape were attributed only to the different experimental conditions in which they had been obtained, and not to the amount of Ti Substituted for Mg in the structure. The formation of high abundances of chrysotile required long reaction times, large quantities of bidistilled water, and low pressure in the reaction system. These synthetic and well-characterized Ti-doped chrysotile fibers, together with toxicity testing, may allow them to be exploited in industrial fields Without danger to human health.