Investigation of halloysite thermal decomposition through differential thermal analysis (DTA): Mechanism and kinetics assessment

The study focused on analysing the kinetics of halloysite decomposition using the differential thermal analysis (DTA) technique. Tests were carried out across a temperature span from ambient temperature to 1673 K, employing heating rates spanning from 5 to 20 °C.min⁻¹. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were utilized to identify the phases formed at different temperatures. Activation energies for halloysite decomposition were determined through isothermal and non-isothermal treatments, yielding values of approximately 151.68 kJ mol⁻¹ and 173.14 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. The Ligero method's Avrami constant parameter ($n$) and the Matusita method's numerical factor parameter ($m$), linked to crystal growth dimensions, were both around 1.5. These findings indicate that the degradation of halloysite is primarily governed by bulk nucleation, succeeded by the 3-dimensional growth of meta-halloysite characterized by polyhedron-like structure, regulated by diffusion from a consistent number of nuclei. The frequency factor for halloysite dehydroxylation was established at 8.48 × 10⁸ s⁻¹.