Organic-inorganic hybrids having a talc-like structure as suitable hosts to guest a wide range of species.

The sol-gel process involving hydrolysis and condensation reactions is an attractive way to form siloxane based hybrid materials since it is a one-step method performed under mild conditions. Organic-inorganic hybrids having a talc-like structure (TLH) can be obtained using this procedure starting from organotrialkoxysilanes having the formula R-Si(OR') (where R stands for an organic moiety and R' for a methyl or ethyl group) with different functionalities, an aqueous or ethanolic solution of a magnesium salt, and in some cases, an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide. In this way, the organic chains are covalently bonded to the silicon of the tetrahedral sheets, pointing toward the interlayer space. The interesting feature in this case is that as many organotrialkoxysilanes are on the market, a wide range of organic moieties can be introduced in the interlayer space leading to applications in various fields. This review highlights the latest trends and the multifaceted applications of these functional layered compounds.