Advances in Carbon Nanomaterial-Clay Nanocomposites for Diverse Applications

Clay materials are widely used in sheet-type platforms with peculiar characteristics and diverse applications. However, due to some disadvantages-such as weak mechanical strength and low reactivity-they are often subjected to modifications. Such tuning leads to better output than pure clay materials. This review describes some of the clay hybrids in the form of nanocomposites with carbon nanomaterials. Generally, graphene oxide or its derivatives-such as reduced graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, carbon dots, carbon nanoclusters, and polymeric components-have been utilized so far to make efficient clay composites that have applications such as catalysis, wastewater treatment for toxin removal, cargo delivery, stimulus-responsive advanced tools, optoelectronics, mechanically stable films for filtration, etc. It is interesting to note that nearly all of these applications tend to show the efficacy of modified clay nanocomposites as being significantly greater than that of pure clay, especially in terms of mechanical strength, loading capacity, increased surface area, and tunable functionality. According to the literature, the evidence proves the beneficial effects of these clay nanocomposites with carbon nanomaterials.

Automated summary

Clay materials are often modified due to their weak mechanical strength and low reactivity, resulting in better performance than pure clay. This review focuses on clay hybrids in the form of nanocomposites with carbon nanomaterials, such as graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes. These efficient clay composites have various applications including catalysis, wastewater treatment, cargo delivery, optoelectronics, and filtration. The evidence shows that these clay nanocomposites with carbon nanomaterials exhibit significantly improved mechanical strength, loading capacity, surface area, and functionality compared to pure clay.