Influence of Halloysite Nanotubes from different deposits on the degradation of organic molecules

Abstract

In this work, Halloysite Nanotubes (HNTs) sourced from different geological deposits (Dragon mine and Latah County in the United States, Matauri Bay in New Zealand and Guelma in Algeria) were studied for the catalytic and photocatalytic degradations of model organic molecules, which are L (+) ascorbic acid and ibuprofen, respectively, in order to assess their distinct impacts on reactions activity. The nanoclays were fully characterized by different techniques (TGA, XRF, XRD, FTIR, ζ-potential, DLS, TEM, etc.) which enlightened differences in the morphological, thermal, chemical properties. As a direct consequence, the degradation of ascorbic was enhanced due to the presence of zinc and manganese oxide in the samples, whereas the photochemical degradation of ibuprofen, which was studied by using a photoreactor, was slowed down or speeded up depending on the particular clay used. These findings are crucial for the plethora of different applications and demonstrates the significant impact HNTs can exert on catalysis. This investigation opens up new perspectives of research for accurately selecting halloysite over other nanoclays.