Functionalization of mesostructured inorganic–organic and porous inorganic materials

Abstract

The capability to functionalize the interior channels and/or high internal surface areas of mesostructured inorganic–organic or porous inorganic solids with specific organic or inorganic moieties has dramatically expanded the potential applications for these versatile materials in catalysis, separations, optical and opto-electronic devices, drug delivery, sensors, and energy conversion. Key to the widespread application of these materials are the various synthetic schemes that have been developed to provide control over the types of species incorporated and, more importantly, their distributions within the mesostructured hosts. Furthermore, multiple active species can often be independently incorporated and collectively optimized to yield multifunctional properties that widen application prospects. Several recent developments and examples in this rapidly growing field of materials chemistry and engineering are highlighted and discussed.