In the last years, halloysite clay nanotubes (HNTs) have attracted a growing interest from scientists and engineers because of their properties (hollow tubular shape, tunable surface chemistry, large specific area) combined with their biocompatibility and low toxicity.

Within this, we studied the suitability of pristine and functionalized HNTs for numerous purposes, such as conservation and restoration of Cultural Heritage and fabrication of bionanocomposite films for packaging applications. The surface modification of halloysite by ionic surfactants was explored to obtain inorganic micelles useful as nanoreactors for catalysis as well as adsorbent nanomaterials for wastewater remediation.

The combination of halloysite clay nanotubes (HNTs) and biomacromolecules (carbohydrates, proteins, and oligonucleotides) represents a powerful approach to design functional nanomaterials suitable for pharmaceutical and medical applications. As examples, we studied the HNTs surface modification by keratin in aqueous media at variable conditions in terms of pH and ionic strength to control the specific supramolecular interactions occurring between the selected biological molecules and halloysite clay. The optimization of the HNTs functionalization was achieved by studying the surface charge, the structure, and the colloidal/thermodynamic properties of the composite nanomaterials. Afterwards, the functionalized nanotubes were immobilized within an alginate network. Rheological measurements confirmed the formation of hybrid hydrogels., which can be used for coating of sutures [1] and photoprotective reinforcement of human hair [2]. The reinforcing and protective actions of the functional hydrogels were proved by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and FTIR spectroscopy through the determination of the cysteine oxidation index.

References

[1] Lisuzzo, L.; Cavallaro, G.; Milioto, S.; Lazzara, G. Appl Clay Sci. 2024, 247, 107217.

[2] Cavallaro G.; Caruso M.R.; Milioto, S.; Fakhrullin, R.; Lazzara, G. Int J Biol Macromol. 2022, 22, 228–238.

Giuseppe Cavallaro is an Assistant Professor in “Physical Chemistry” at University of Palermo, Department of Physics and Chemistry “Emilio Segrè”. He is teacher of 2 courses (“Physico-chemical at interfaces” for Master students in Chemistry and "Laboratory of chemistry for materials used in optics" for Bachelor students in Optics and Optometry). He is supervisor of 2 PhD students for the doctorate in “Physical and Chemical Sciences”. Moreover, Dr. Cavallaro is responsible of the Historical Collection of chemical instruments located at the Building of Chemistry of University of Palermo.

In 2014, he obtained his PhD in Chemistry at University of Palermo. Then, he was a Research Associate at the Institute of Micromanufacturing, Louisiana Tech University (USA) and Institut fur Chemie, Technische Universitat Berlin (Germany).

Dr. Giuseppe Cavallaro is Editor of the book “Clay nanoparticles: properties and applications” published by Elsevier in 2020. He is member of the Editorial Board of Applied Clay Science (Elsevier).

He is author of 154 articles in peer review journals and 6 book chapters. His current H-index is 51.

He is inventor of 3 patents on the use of chitosan/nanofibroin for cultural heritage and cosmetics applications.

His research activities focus on nanoclays and polymer/nanoparticle interactions. His studies aim to develop novel sustainable materials useful for biomedicine, cosmetics and technological applications, such as catalysis, remediation and conservation of cultural heritage.