Akıllı malzemeler ve ileri biyomedikal uygulamaları: HNT ve HNT-polimer kompozitler

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are natural aluminosilicate clay minerals with the formula of Al2Si2O5(OH)4 nH2O. HNTs, which can be obtained naturally as well as synthetically, occur in layered, spherical, flat and other forms. HNTs with an outer diameter of 50 nm and a length ranging from 500 to 1000 nm have a hollow and nanotube-shaped structure. It has natural deposits in Brazil, Turkey, New Zealand, China, the United States, Korea, Japan, and France, and it is a low-cost material that can be obtained through ore purification. Thanks to their high surface area, large pore volume, rheological properties, high interactions, and high binding capacities with biopolymers, HNTs are used in a wide range of areas. For example, HNTs have become a frequently used material in environmental applications such as wastewater treatment and removal of organic contaminants and dyes. It is also used in the production of nanoelectronics and nanocomposites, catalytic studies, flame retardants in make-up materials, forensic sciences and biomedical fields. The specific properties of HNT used in the biomedical field lead to numerous applications. In this review, it is aimed to present the advantages of HNTs for use in drug delivery systems, immune therapy, anti-infection applications, cancer therapy, bioimaging, biosensing applications, tissue engineering applications, implants and hygiene-cosmetics materials.