The past two decades have been marked by an increased interest in the synthesis and the properties of geoinspired hydrosilicate nanoscrolls and nanotubes. The present review considers three main representatives of this group: halloysite, imogolite and chrysotile. These hydrosilicates have the ability of spontaneous curling (scrolling) due to a number of crystal structure features, including the size and chemical composition differences between the sheets, (or the void in the gibbsite sheet and SiO₂ tetrahedron, in the case of imogolite). Mineral nanoscrolls and nanotubes consist of the most abundant elements, like magnesium, aluminium and silicon, accompanied by uncontrollable amounts of impurities (other elements and phases), which hinder their high technology applications. The development of a synthetic approach makes it possible to not only to overcome the purity issues, but also to enhance the chemical composition of the nanotubular particles by controllable cation doping. The first part of the review covers some principles of the cation doping approach and proposes joint criteria for the semiquantitative prediction of morphological changes that occur. The second part focuses on some doping-related properties and applications, such as morphological control, uptake and release, magnetic and mechanical properties, and catalysis.

Single-phase nanotubular hydrosilicates (Mg_{1 – x}Co_x)₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄ (x = 0.2, 0.4, …, 1) with a chrysotile structure were obtained by hydrothermal treatment at 200°C. Materials based on cobalt-containing hydrosilicates can be used as catalysts, sorbents, and sensors and in energy storage and accumulation devices. Nanotubular cobalt-containing hydrosilicates are difficult to produce because of the presence of oxygen in the system and, as a consequence, the oxidation of cobalt to Co³⁺. To stabilize Co²⁺, at the stage of hydrothermal treatment, a sodium sulfite solution was used to chemically remove oxygen from the system. The samples obtained were nanoscrolls of various morphologies. An increase in the cobalt content in the system led to the formation of multi-walled and double-walled cylinders, cones, tube-in-tube nanoscrolls, and also nanoscrolls with fully or partially closed ends, curved nanoscrolls, and spheroidal particles.

We have studied the performance of nanotubular nickel hydrosilicate and its derivatives as a negative electrode of lithium ion batteries. Nickel hydrosilicate with the composition Ni₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄ was synthesized under hydrothermal conditions (350°C, 14 MPa, 10 h). Its derivatives were prepared by thermal annealing at temperatures of 400, 600, and 1000°C. In this process, the tubular structure of the particles persisted up to 600°C, whereas at 1000°C well-crystallized Ni₂SiO₄ was formed. Charge/discharge cycles were performed in the voltage range 0.05–3 V at a specific current of 10 mA/g. Heat treatment was shown to increase discharge capacity and reversible capacity in the first cycle. The highest performance was offered by the material heat-treated at 400°C: its discharge capacity reached 678 mAh/g and its reversible capacity was 58% in the first cycle and 85% in subsequent cycles.

A group of phyllosilicate nanoscrolls conjoins several hydrosilicate layered compounds with a size mismatch between octahedral and tetrahedral sheets. Among them, synthetic Mg₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄ chrysotile nanoscrolls (obtained via the hydrothermal method) possess high thermal stability and mechanical properties, making them prospective composite materials fillers. However, accurate determination of these nano-objects with Young’s modulus remains challenging. Here, we report on a study of the mechanical properties evolution of individual synthetic phyllosilicate nanoscrolls after a series of heat treatments, observed with an atomic force microscopy and calculated using the density functional theory. It appears that the Young’s modulus, as well as shear deformation’s contribution to the nanoscrolls mechanical behavior, can be controlled by heat treatment. The main reason for this is the heat-induced formation of covalent bonding between the adjacent layers, which complicate the shear deformation.