ABSTRACT
Halloysite is a two-layered aluminosilicate which has a predominantly hollow tubular structure in the submicron range and is chemically similar to kaolinite (Joussein et al., 2005). It is mined commercially from natural deposits in USA, New Zealand, China, Turkey, and Brazil (Bateset al., 1950). Dragon Mine in Utah has halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) with high purity exceeding 99 percent (Abdullayev et al., 2013). These minerals are formed from kaolinite over millions of years because of hydrothermal processes (Tari et al., 1999). Layers are rolled into tubes because of the strain caused by lattice mismatches between adjacent silicon dioxide and aluminum oxide sheets (e.g., Joussein et al., 2005, Abdullayev et al., 2013).
