The adsorption behaviors and the activation mechanism of calcium ions (Ca2+) on sericite surface have been investigated by Zeta potential measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Micro-flotation tests and First principle calculations. Zeta potential tests results show that the sericite surface potential increases due to the adsorption of calcium ions on the surface. Micro-flotation tests demonstrate that sericite recovery remarkably rise by 10% due to the calcium ions activation on sericite surface. However, the characteristic adsorption bands of calcium oleate do not appear in the FT-IR spectrum, suggesting that oleate ions just physically adsorb on the sericite surface. The first principle calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) further reveals the microscopic adsorption mechanism of calcium ions on the sericite surface before and after hydration. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.