Semiconductor nanoparticles, CdS

Other materials derived from clay-organic systems include small semiconductor nanoparticles (CdS, for instance), which are extremely interesting in terms of new nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices. The functionalization of sepio-lite using 3-MPTMS (see Sec. VI.A) allows complexation of Cd ions by thiol-cation interactions (200). These materials are potentially very attractive for their quantum dot properties, because it can be expected that treatment with H2S gas or Na2S solutions could produce semiconducting CdS particles of nanosized dimensions. In addition, such systems would be of interest in terms of photocata-lytic activity, such as for the generation of H2 from isopropanol, as was observed for MCM mesoporous silica that was functionalized in a similar way (230). 

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