Among the wide assortment of zeolites based on aluminosilicates, Linde Type L (LTL) zeolite outstands as a support host owing to its porous framework and high adsorption surfaces. Thus, the incorporation of suitable guest molecules (fluorophores or metals) allows the development of photoactive and catalytic nanomaterials. In this chapter, we describe the design of materials based on LTL zeolite to achieve artificial antennae, inspired in the natural photosynthesis, and ecofriendly materials for the catalytic reforming of biogas. First, we describe the microwave-assisted synthesis of LTL zeolite with tunable size and morphology. Afterward, we test the energy transfer probability between the guest fluorophores into the LTL zeolite pores as the key process enabling the antenna behavior of this hybrid material with broadband absorption and tunable emission or predominant red fluorescence. Finally, we also test the behavior of LTL zeolite as a support material for the catalytic reforming of biogas. To this aim, suitable metals were impregnated onto LTL zeolite featuring different shapes and alkaline metal exchange. Activity tests indicated that disk- and cylinder-shaped hosts were the most active ones, especially when bimetallic (Rh-Ni) catalysts were prepared. However, the alkaline metal exchange was ineffective to increase the hydrogen yield.
Part of the book: Zeolites and Their Applications
The modern synthetic routes in organic chemistry, as well as the recent advances in high-resolution spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, have awakened a renewable interest in the development of organic fluorophores. In this regard, boron-dipyrrin (BODIPY) dyes are ranked at the top position as luminophores to be applied in photonics or biophotonics. This chromophore outstands not only by its excellent and tunable photophysical signatures, but also by the chemical versatility of its core, which is readily available to a myriad of functionalization routes. In this chapter, we show that, after a rational design, bright and photostable BODIPYs can be achieved along the whole visible spectral region, being suitable as molecular probes or active media of lasers. Alternatively, the selective functionalization of the dipyrrin core, mainly at meso position, can induce new photophysical phenomena (such as charge transfer) paving the way to the development of fluorescent sensors, where the fluorescent response is sensitive to a specific environmental property.
Part of the book: Photochemistry and Photophysics