Photofunctions of Dye-Clay Hybrids: Recent Developments

Abstract

Precise design of hybrid nanostructures based on dyes in hybrid materials toward controlled photochemical reactions and novel photoinduced phenomena is overviewed with the emphasis on the recent developments. Various clays and clay minerals with different origins and characteristics have been used as hosts to control the location, orientation, and aggregation as well as the dynamic states (rotation and diffusion) of the dyes. The designed nanostructures affect photochemical properties such as efficiency, selectivity, and the rate of some photochemical reactions. Using the photochemical reactions in nanospaces, unique photoinduced phenomena such as nanostructural/morphological change and adsorption/desorption triggered by irradiation have been found.