Amorphization Activates Biocompatible MgAl-Layered Double Hydroxide for Efficient Multiple Free Radical Scavenging

The exploitation of effective and nontoxic materials with antioxidant activity to mitigate or inhibit the damage caused by elevated levels of free radicals has attracted considerable attention across diverse fields. Herein, this study demonstrates that a biocompatible MgAl-layered double hydroxide (LDH) can be activated for multiple types of free radical scavenging with unexpected activity through amorphization (a-MgAl-LDH). Detailed characterization reveals that numerous oxygen defects are introduced after amorphization. Mechanistic studies and theoretical simulations indicate that amorphization-induced oxygen defects in a-MgAl-LDH promote radical adsorption and reduce the reaction energy barriers, thereby resulting in enhanced radical scavenging activities. Consequently, a-MgAl-LDH demonstrated remarkable efficiency in mitigating the oxidative injury induced by Rosup in cells and provided thermal stabilization of polyvinyl chloride against degradation. This study demonstrates the transformation of inert MgAl-LDH into a promising, nontoxic, and cost-effective nano-antioxidant option for antioxidative therapy or polymer stabilization and highlights the significance of crystallinity engineering of nanomaterials for efficient free radical scavenging. This work reports the activation of inert MgAl-LDH through amorphization for multiple free-radical scavenging with unexpected activity. Mechanism studies and theoretical simulations indicate that amorphization-induced oxygen defects play a vital role in enhancing radical scavenging activity. image