Abstract: Palygorskite is a type of rod-shaped plant silicate that is abundant in nature, with complex internal structures and abundant surface activity. In order to optimize the morphological characteristics of palygorskite and improve its application performance, various structural improvement methods have emerged. This paper reviews the research progress of commonly used techniques for modifying the crystal structure of palygorskite, such as ion beam bombardment, grinding, and acidification treatment. The method of measuring the phase content of modified palygorskite using X-ray diffraction is analyzed, and the importance of improving the crystal structure of palygorskite and quantitatively analyzing the phase content of crystal structure is pointed out. The relevant research results can reveal the improved structure of palygorskite at a deeper level, and help the development of new functional materials in a broader dimension, ultimately enhancing the added value of palygorskite clay resource utilization.