Layered double hydroxides (LDH) are versatile materials used for intercalating bioactive molecules, both in pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields, with the purpose of protecting them from degradation, enhancing their water solubility to increase bioavailability, and/or obtaining modified release properties. The properties of the intercalation compounds of Mg/Al_LDH and Zn/Al_LDH with different drugs and sunscreens, namely diclofenac, ketoprofen, gliclazide, retinoic acid, furosemide, para-aminobenzoic acid and 2-phenylbenzimidazolsulfonic (Eusolex) acid, have been studied by crystallographic, spectroscopic and thermogravimetric techniques and by solid state NMR, to shed light on their structure, their molecular interactions and their stability from the thermal and chemical viewpoint. The structural features were described with particular attention to the interaction between the organic and inorganic components and to the stability of the intercalation products. For the first time two synchrotron radiation powder diffraction patterns of organic-containing LDH were solved and refined by Rietveld methods to obtain an experimental crystal structure.

Plasticized–Poly(vinyl chloride) (P-PVC) for cables and insulation requires performances related to outdoor, indoor and submarine contexts and reduction of noxious release of HCl-containing fumes in case of thermal degradation or fire. Introducing suitable nanomaterials in polymer-based nanocomposites can be an answer to this clue. In this work, an industry-compliant cable-grade P-PVC formulation was added with nanostructured materials belonging to the family of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS). The effects of the nanomaterials, alone and in synergy with HCl scavenging agents as zeolites and hydrotalcites, on the thermal stability and HCl evolution of P-PVC were deeply investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and reference ASTM methods. Moreover, hardness and mechanical properties were studied in order to highlight the effects of these additives in the perspective of final industrial uses. The data demonstrated relevant improvements in the thermal stability of the samples added with nanomaterials, already with concentrations of POSS down to 0.31 phr and interesting additive effects of POSS with zeolites and hydrotalcites for HCl release reduction without losing mechanical performances.