Progress and perspectives on pillared clays applied in energetic and environmental remediation processes

Pillared interlayered clays (PILCs) are materials that show a two-dimensional layered porous structure with properties that could be interesting alternatives to zeolites and other microporous solids. Some of the properties that make these materials interesting are specific surface area, high exchange capacity, low permeability, swelling ability, relatively good heat resistance stability, high acidic properties, and relatively low price. PILCs have attracted intense research among several years in relation to the possible control of these properties and environmental applications. The current short work is devoted to the tendencies and new insights in to the last five years of PILCs as adsorbents and heterogeneous catalysts. The work finishes considering the future application prospects.The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (AEI/MINECO), and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through project MAT2016-78863-C2-2-R. AG also thanks Santander Bank for funding through the Research Intensification Program