The epoxy/clay nanocomposites have been extensively considered over years because of their low cost and excellent performance. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are unique 1D natural nanofillers with a hollow tubular shape and high aspect ratio. To tackle poor dispersion of the pristine halloysite (P-HNT) in the epoxy matrix, alkali surface-treated HNT (A-HNT) and epoxy silane functionalized HNT (F-HNT) were developed and cured with epoxy resin. Nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses were performed on epoxy nanocomposites containing 0.1 wt.% of P-HNT, A-HNT, and F-HNT. Quantitative analysis of the cure kinetics of epoxy/amine system made by isoconversional Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) and Friedman methods made possible calculation of the activation energy (E_α) as a function of conversion (α). The activation energy gradually increased by increasing α due to the diffusion-control mechanism. However, the average value of E_α for nanocomposites was lower comparably, suggesting autocatalytic curing mechanism. Detailed assessment revealed that autocatalytic reaction degree, m increased at low heating rate from 0.107 for neat epoxy/amine system to 0.908 and 0.24 for epoxy/P-HNT and epoxy/A-HNT nanocomposites, respectively, whereas epoxy/F-HNT system had m value of 0.072 as a signature of dominance of non-catalytic reactions. At high heating rates, a similar behavior but not that significant was observed due to the accelerated gelation in the system. In fact, by the introduction of nanotubes the mobility of curing moieties decreased resulting in some deviation of experimental cure rate values from the predicted values obtained using KAS and Friedman methods.

Transdermal drug delivery presents a promising noninvasive approach, bypassing first-pass metabolism and gastrointestinal degradation. However, the stratum corneum (SC) barrier limits drug absorption, necessitating the development of effective delivery systems. Microneedles, particularly polymer-based ones, offer a solution by penetrating the SC while avoiding critical nerves and capillaries. These microneedles are biodegradable, nontoxic, and easily manufacturable, making them a highly attractive platform for transdermal drug delivery. However, their clinical application remains limited due to suboptimal therapeutic efficacy and slow drug release rates. Recent advancements have introduced the incorporation of nanodrugs, such as nanoparticles and encapsulated drugs, into microneedles to enhance drug delivery efficiency. Among the materials explored, graphene and its derivatives, including graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), have garnered significant attention. Their exceptional mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, and antibacterial properties not only improve the mechanical performance of microneedles but also enhance drug release rates and biocompatibility. This review synthesizes the current state of microneedle technologies, focusing on the materials, fabrication techniques, and performance challenges. It particularly examines the potential of graphene-based microneedles, comparing them to traditional polymer-based microneedles in terms of drug release efficiency and stability. The review highlights key challenges, such as scalability, biocompatibility, and fabrication complexity, and suggests future research directions to address these issues. The incorporation of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) is identified as a promising avenue for improving drug release profiles, stability, and real-time tracking of drug diffusion. Finally, the review outlines emerging applications, including smart drug delivery systems, biosensing, and real-time monitoring, urging further exploration to unlock the full potential of graphene-enhanced microneedles in clinical settings.

Malaria, as one of the most common human infectious diseases, remains the greatest global health concern, since approximately 3.5 billion people around the world, especially those in subtropical areas, are at the risk of being infected by malaria. Due to the emergence and spread of drug resistance to the current antimalarials, malaria-related mortality and incidence rates have recently increased. To overcome the aforementioned obstacles, nano-vehicles based on biodegradable, natural, and non-toxic polymers have been developed. Accordingly, these systems are considered as a potential drug vehicle, which due to their unique properties such as the excellent safety profile, good biocompatibility, tunable structure, diversity, and the presence of functional groups within the polymer structure, could facilitate covalent attachment of targeting moieties and antimalarials to the polymeric nano-vehicles. In this review, we highlighted some recent developments of liposomes as unique nanoscale drug delivery vehicles and several polymeric nanovehicles, including hydrogels, dendrimers, self-assembled micelles, and polymer-drug conjugates for the effective delivery of antimalarials.