Injectable composites via functionalization of 1D nanoclays and biodegradable coupling with a polysaccharide hydrogel.

The use of injectable materials in minimally invasive surgical procedures could help in facing the bone diseases connected to the ageing of world population. To this aim, materials integrating the rheological properties of biocompatible polymers with the mechanical properties of 1D inorganic nanostructures represent promising scaffolds. Here we describe the preparation of hydrogel composites made of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and halloysite nanotubes (HNT) as injectable materials for the local treatment of bone defects. The rheology and injectability of the materials reflects their structural properties, showing the possibility of successfully injecting the prepared composites over a large range of operative conditions.