Immobilization of Nanoparticles on Fibrous Clay Surfaces: Towards Promising Nanoplatforms for Advanced Functional Applications

Abstract

This account discusses on diverse general approaches employed for the preparation of heterostructured materials based on the immobilization of metal oxides and other nanoparticles on sepiolite and palygorskite fibrous clay minerals, showing the many opportunities of application offered by the resulting materials. Various examples from our own experience have been selected to show how sepiolite acts as a convenient nanoplatform for immobilization of diverse type of nanoparticles, such as TiO2, Fe3O4, Prussian blue, zeolites, layered double hydroxides, carbon nanotubes and graphenes, etc., to produce functional materials for applications in catalysis, environmental remediation, sensing devices, energy production, and others.