Montmorillonite supported metal nanoparticles: an update on syntheses and applications

Montmorillonite is one of the most intensively explored supporting materials in materials chemistry. In addition to its low cost and eco-friendliness, interest mainly exists in its unique properties like cation exchange and swelling ability, thereby accommodating various guest species in its interlayers. While recognizing the tremendous interest in nanoparticles because of their fundamentally novel properties and functions, researchers have noticed that the performance of these nanoparticles can be greatly enhanced by their immobilization on various supports. The interlayer space of montmorillonite at the nanometre scale provides a very good platform to accommodate these nanoparticulates. This review provides an overview of the past developments in the field of montmorillonite supported nanometals. Thus, this review aims to cover numerous aspects of material syntheses, and various fields of applications in which these materials show their significant efficacies.