Ordered Heterostructures of Two Strictly Alternating Types of Nanoreactors

One-dimensional crystalline heterostructures of two types of nanoreactors strictly alternating along the stacking direction are obtained by partial ion exchange into a synthetic day mineral distinguished by an outstandingly homogeneous charge density. The driving force for the formation of these high interface architectures is proven to be founded in densely packed cationic molecules in the interlayer with a charge density deviating from the charge density of the host day mineral. The established mechanism renders the approach generally applicable and will allow for synthesis of ordered heterostructures of any desired combination of functional molecules that moreover are separated by exactly 1 nm thick silicate walls. The ordered heterostructures were furthermore shown to represent the thermodynamic equilibrium suggesting the mechanism of formation to be robust.