Tubular halloysite (HNT) is a naturally occurring aluminosilicate clay with a unique combination of natural availability, good biocompatibility, high mechanical strength, and functionality. This study explored the effects of magnetically responsive halloysite (MHNT) on the structure, morphology, chemical composition, and magnetic and mechanical properties of electrospun nanofibers based on polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatine (Gel) blends. MHNT was prepared via a simple modification of HNT with a perchloric-acid-stabilized magnetic fluid-methanol mixture. PCL/Gel nanofibers containing 6, 9, and 12 wt.% HNT and MHNT were prepared via an electrospinning process, respecting the essential rules for medical applications. The structure and properties of the prepared nanofibers were studied using infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and electron microscopy (SEM, STEM) along with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), magnetometry, and mechanical analysis. It was found that the incorporation of the studied concentrations of MHNT into PCL/Gel nanofibers led to soft magnetic biocompatible materials with a saturation magnetization of 0.67 emu/g and coercivity of 15 Oe for nanofibers with 12 wt.% MHNT. Moreover, by applying both HNT and MHNT, an improvement of the nanofibers structure was observed, together with strong reinforcing effects. The greatest improvement was observed for nanofibers containing 9 wt.% MHNT when increases in tensile strength reached more than two-fold and the elongation at break reached a five-fold improvement.

CEITEC Central European Institute of Technology Brno University of Technology Purkyňova 123 612 00 Brno Czech Republic

CEPLANT Department of Physical Electronics Masaryk University Kotlářská 267 2 611 37 Brno Czech Republic

CONTIPRO a s Dolní Dobrouč 401 561 02 Dolní Dobrouč Czech Republic

Department of Nanobiotechnology Biology Centre ISB CAS Na Sádkách 7 370 05 České Budějovice Czech Republic

Faculty of Food and Chemical Technology Institute of Natural and Synthetic Polymers Slovak University of Technology Radlinského 9 812 37 Bratislava Slovakia

Institute of Measurement Science Slovak Academy of Sciences Dúbravská Cesta 9 841 04 Bratislava Slovakia

Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute Palacký University Šlechtitelů 27 783 71 Olomouc Czech Republic

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