Abstract
Organically modified clays have been investigated as adsorbents, catalysts and their supports, in addition to the commercialized uses such as rheological ones. In the present review article, recent developments of smart adsorbents with such optical responses as sensing of aromatic compounds and photoinduced adsorption/reaction are overviewed with emphasis on our contribution. The adsorbents have been designed by tuning nanostructures through the surface modification with organic functionalities. Selection of organic cations and the spatial distribution are important points to construct adsorbents, recognizing nonionic aromatic compounds both from aqueous solutions and from vapor phase. In addition to the organoclays, several examples of the optical sensing based on smectite without organic functionality are also introduced in this review.
