The attapulgite/Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (ATP-Fe3O4) were prepared by co-precipitation technique in the aqueous suspension of attapulgite pre-modified with FeCl3. The co-precipitation occurred by ammonia in presence of ferrous chloride at 90 degrees C under magnetic stirring. Morphology observation showed that the Fe3O4 nanoparticles were absorbed to attapulgite nano-needles' surfaces and their dispersibilities in water was also studied. The ATP-Fe3O4 particles had been characterized with Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), pore surface area (BET), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). (C) 2008 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.