Host–guest chemistry of mesoporous silicas: precise design of location, density and orientation of molecular guests in mesopores

Mesoporous solids, which were prepared from inorganic-surfactant mesostructured materials, have been investigated due to their very large surface area and high porosity, pore size uniformity and variation, periodic pore arrangement and possible pore surface modification. Morphosyntheses from macroscopic morphologies such as bulk monolith and films, to nanoscopic ones, nanoparticles and their stable suspension, make mesoporous materials more attractive for applications and detailed characterization. This class of materials has been studied for such applications as adsorbents and catalysts, and later on, for optical, electronic, environmental and bio-related ones. This review summarizes the studies on the chemistry of mesoporous silica and functional guest species (host–guest chemistry) to highlight the present status and future applications of the host–guest hybrids.