Water-dispersible organoclays

1. A composition comprising water and a surface-modified smectite clay, wherein the clay is sheared with a hydrophobic surface-modifier comprising an alkyl quaternary ammonium compound and an amphiphilic copolymer selected from the group consisting of PEG 30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, polyglyceryl-2-dipolyhydroxystearate, and mixtures thereof, to produce an organophilic, hydrophobically surface-modified clay which is not dispersible in water without visibly apparent particle agglomeration or clumping, and wherein the surface of the hydrophobically surface-modified clay is subsequently hydrophilically-modified by shearing the organophilic clay with a hydrophilic polymer having a weight average molecular weight of less than 1,000,000 Dalton, such that the hydrophilic surface-modification achieved by the hydrophilic polymer renders the organophilic clay dispersible in water.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the alkyl quaternary ammonium compound has an alkyl chain length of C 8 -C 22 .

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic polymer is selected from the group consisting anionic, cationic, nonionic, zwitterionic polymer or copolymer, and mixtures thereof.

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the amount of water is in the range of 1-99% by weight of the composition.

5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the amount of the smectite clay in its pre-modified form (dry-basis) is in the range of 0.1-60% by weight of the composition.

6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the amount of the hydrophobic surface-modifier is 10-75% by weight of the dry smectite clay.

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the amount of the hydrophilic polymer is 0.5-50% by weight of the dry smectite clay.

8. A method of making a smectite clay dispersible in water comprising shearing the clay with a hydrophobic surface-modifier comprising an alkyl quaternary ammonium compound and an amphiphilic copolymer selected from the group consisting of PEG 30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, polyglyceryl-2-dipolyhydroxystearate, and mixtures thereof, to produce an organophilic, hydrophobically surface-modified clay which is not dispersible in water without particle agglomeration or clumping, and hydrophilically-modifying the surface of the hydrophobically-modified clay by shearing the organophilic clay, in water, with a hydrophilic polymer having a weight average molecular weight of less than 1,000,000 Dalton, such that the hydrophilic surface-modification achieved by the hydrophilic polymer renders the organophilic clay dispersible in water.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the alkyl quaternary ammonium compound has an alkyl chain length of C 8 -C 22 .

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the hydrophilic polymer is selected from the group consisting anionic, cationic, nonionic, zwitterionic polymer or copolymer, and mixtures thereof.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the amount of the hydrophobic surface-modifier is 10-75% by weight of the dry smectite clay.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the amount of the hydrophilic polymer is 0.5-50% by weight of the dry smectite clay.