Maya Blue as a nanostructured polyfunctional hybrid organic-inorganic material: The need to change paradigms

Abstract

Maya Blue, an ancient nanostructured organic-inorganic hybrid material resulting from the attachment of indigo, a natural dye, to a phyllosilicate clay, palygorskite, has received considerable attention of late. Despite intensive research, several aspects remain unsolved, in particular the nature of the indigo-palygorskite association. Recent results suggest that the Maya Blue pigment is a complex system in which different topological isomers of various indigoid molecules attached to the palygorskite matrix coexist. © 2009 The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.