Application of aluminosilicate clay mineral-based composites in photocatalysis

•Functional ACM-based composites facilitate the photocatalytic process in both aqueous/gaseous condition.•Abundant surface properties of ACM provide the high capability of adsorption, the distribution of photocatalysts, and the transfer of photo-generated electrons.•Surface activating and interlayered modification on ACM benefit combination of the photocatalysts and the support.•Compared with type 1:1 ACM, type 2:1 ACM exhibits more flexible structure that provides more space for photocatalysts loading. Aluminosilicate clay mineral (ACM) is a kind of typical raw materials that used widely in manufacturing industry owing to the abundant reserve and low-cost exploring. In past two decades, in-depth understanding on unique layered structure and abundant surface properties endows ACM in the emerging research and application fields. In field of solar-chemical energy conversion, ACM has been widely used to support various semiconductor photocatalysts, forming the composites and achieving efficient conversion of reactants under sunlight irradiation. To date, classic ACM such as kaolinite and montmorillonite, loaded with semiconductor photocatalysts has been widely applied in photocatalysis. This review summaries the recent works on ACM-based composites in photocatalysis. Focusing on the properties of surface and layered structure, we elucidate the different features in the composition with various functional photocatalysts on two typical kinds of ACM, i.e., type 1:1 and type 2:1. Not only large surface area and active surface hydroxyl group assist the substrate adsorption, but also the layered structure provides more space to enlarge the application of ACM-based photocatalysts. Besides, we overview the modifications on ACM from both external surface and the inter-layer space that make the formation of composites more efficiently and boost the photo-chemical process. This review could inspire more upcoming design and synthesis for ACM-based photocatalysts, leading this kind of economic and eco-friendly materials for more practical application in the future. [Display omitted]