Functional nanohybrid materials derived from kaolinite

The first studies reporting the intercalation of organic compounds in kaolinite appeared in the 1960's. From that time, many advances have been achieved in this field. They are mainly concerned with the mastering and control of the intercalation processes, with the elucidation of various structural interactions between the intercalated compounds and the functionalities of the interlayer spaces, and with the covalent grafting of a variety of compounds on the internal surfaces. A new type of nanohybrid materials was developed, which displayed several potential interesting applications in various research area as clay polymer nanocomposites, adsorbents, electrochemical sensors or catalysts, among others.