Clay minerals and soil interactions

Clay minerals such as halloysite and montmorillonite are naturally occurring aluminosilicates whose nanoscale tubular and layered structures make them unusually well-suited for loading, protecting, and releasing bioactive molecules in a controlled way. Researchers are engineering these materials into nanocomposites and surface-modified carriers for applications ranging from targeted drug delivery to scaffolds for tissue regeneration, taking advantage of the minerals' low toxicity, high surface area, and tunable chemistry. A central challenge is achieving precise control over release kinetics—how fast or slowly a payload escapes the clay structure—under the variable conditions found in biological environments. Active work is also focused on understanding how surface modifications alter compatibility with living tissue and on scaling these systems toward clinical and industrial use without sacrificing the properties that make them effective.

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208,703

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Keywords

Clay NanotubesHalloysiteMontmorilloniteDrug DeliveryNanocompositesBiomedical Applications