Dyes Encapsulated Within Porous Aluminosilicates as Photocatalysts

Abstract

Abstract Because aluminosilicates do not absorb most of the UV/visible wavelength region, incorporation of dyes inside these porous materials allows the development of highly efficient visible light photocatalyst due to the stabilizing effect that inclusion inside the confined space exerts on the organic guest. In addition, the polarity and the presence of active sites in close proximity together with regular ordering can also favor certain available photochemical pathways, particularly photoinduced electron transfer. After an introduction to the field, this chapter will comment on the various preparation procedures and characterization techniques applicable to these host–guest materials, before describing selected important examples covering a range of photocatalytic applications. The last section will summarize the current state of the art, emphasizing the remaining challenges and limitations still to be overcome.