Manipulation of Precise Molecular Arrangements and Their Photochemical Properties on Inorganic Surfaces via Multiple Electrostatic Interactions

Multiple (or multivalent) interaction is the key in many biological systems. One of the most important (photo-)chemical reactions, photosynthesis, is driven by regularly aligned molecules by multiple interactions between proteins and molecules. A grand challenge of modern chemistry therefore includes the construction of supramolecular assemblies and control of their functions for mimicking nature and beyond. While most synthetic systems depend on covalent, coordination and hydrogen bonds between molecules, my approach focuses on multiple electrostatic interactions with two-dimensional clay mineral nanosheets. I here summarize my recent work on manipulation of precise molecular arrangements and photochemical properties via multiple electrostatic interactions. This Account mainly consists of the three parts; 1: manipulation of photochemical properties of molecules and new emission enhancement phenomenon (chapters 2-7), 2: efficient photochemical reactions and artificial photosynthesis model (chapters 8-14), and 3: molecular-scale understanding by means of electron microscopy (chapters 15-17).