Polysaccharides/Halloysite nanotubes for smart bionanocomposite materials

Biopolymers as alternative to fossils-derived polymers are attracting the interest of researcher in material science. Besides the economic advantages, the sustainability makes polysaccharides ideal candidates to prepare films and formulations. The addition of Halloysite nanotubes as green inorganic fillers was exploited to improve the physico-chemical properties and to introduce smart response abilities to the material. Halloysite is a natural tubular nanomaterial with hollow cavity and large aspect ratio. The effect of polymer charge on the morphology and mesoscopic properties of polysaccharides/halloysite nanocomposites has been highlighted. Different strategies (solvent casting, lyophilization, cryoscopic technique) for the preparation of nanocomposites have been described. In addition, we present novel protocols for the fabrication of polysaccharides/halloysite nanocomposites suitable as drug delivery systems. The emerging halloysite-based bionanocomposites are addressed to applications such as biomedicine, packaging, corrosion protection and restoration of cultural heritages. This review provides an overview of the recent progress achieved on halloysite-polysaccharides nanocomposites.