Recent progress in the synthesis and application of organically modified hydrotalcites

This review is focused on the preparation and potential applications of hydrotalcite like compounds organically modified by ion-exchange procedure and the data reviewed have been supplemented with unpublished results. It is divided in two Parts. Part I deals with intercalation of biologically active species such as amino-acids, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic drugs, UV-absorbers to produce nano-hybrids with versatile application as biomolecule reservoir and in the pharmaceutical and personal care fields. Part II deals with the intercalation of several anions with either hydrophobic or hydrophilic properties in order to make the inorganic sheets compatible with different polymers. Moreover, if the guest is an active molecular anion such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antibiotic or anti-inflammatory, the polymer can acquire the peculiar properties of the guest opening novel interesting application fields.