Green synthesis of nano-muscovite and niter from feldspar through accelerated geomimicking process

Synthesis of nano-muscovite has significant implications for applications such as electrical insulation, composite materials and paper-making. In this study, an energy-saving, efficient and sustainable route to synthesize muscovite from K-feldspar was developed by mimicking natural chemical weathering process of feldspar. Here, well-crystallized nano-muscovite of uniform flaky morphology with a thickness of 20–40 nm was obtained at 250 °C in just 18 h after treatment of K-feldspar under hydrothermal conditions. Moreover, additional potassium generated by the dissolution of K-feldspar into solution was collected as KNO₃. This is truly a green chemical process for the synthesis of muscovite and niter in a closed system as it not only conserved all the starting chemicals for reuse but also generated two useful by-products, niter and CaSiO₃.