Clay minerals and soil interactions

Clay minerals such as halloysite and montmorillonite are naturally occurring aluminosilicates whose nanoscale tubular and layered structures make them surprisingly useful in biomedical engineering. Researchers study how these materials can be chemically modified and loaded with drugs, proteins, or other active agents, then incorporated into polymer nanocomposites or scaffolds to control how and when those agents are released inside the body. Because halloysite nanotubes are cheap, abundant, and generally biocompatible, they have attracted particular attention as an alternative to synthetic nanocarriers in applications ranging from wound dressings to bone tissue engineering. Active work is focused on understanding how surface chemistry governs loading efficiency and release kinetics, and on establishing the long-term safety profile of clay-based materials in living tissue.

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209,265

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1,100,434

Keywords

Clay NanotubesHalloysiteMontmorilloniteDrug DeliveryNanocompositesBiomedical Applications