Pillared Clays and Clay Minerals

This chapter makes a general overview of pillared clay minerals. First, the general concepts of the process and the terminology recommended by the IUPAC are summarized, followed by the analysis of the host clay minerals and of the pillaring species, with special attention to the Al13 polycation, mixed species, and new species. The main experimental pillaring methods are summarized, and also the main characteristics of the pillared solids, with special attention to the linking between the clay mineral layers and the polycations. Also, an overview of the mathematical modelling of pillaring processes is given. The chapter does not give exhaustive information in each item, available in review articles and books, but the general concepts needed for a general knowledge of the pillaring process and of the pillared solids.