Our review article was, at the time (2001), much updated. Since then, a lot of work has been devoted to these amazing inorganic host structures, Layered Double Hydroxide (LDH), which present positively charged layers and therefore are unique anion exchange materials. Concentrated research, both on and from LDH materials, has been renewed since then, and a broad field of applications, most of them indicated in our paper, are still currently under investigation.

“Our paper provides a basic knowledge toward a better understanding of certain aspects of solid state chemistry; in particular, aspects related to inorganic/organic lamellar assemblies as well as a useful comparison to other hybrid systems.”

We finished our article with the sentence: "Known to be suitable for a large variety of applications as diverse as protonic conductors, clay-modified electrodes, batteries or photochromic materials, catalyses, or waste-carriers materials, layered double hydroxides have potential to rise to this new challenge." And now, more than six years later, we can observe that this is indeed the case, with more than 1,200 papers published in the domain of layered double hydroxides or LDHs (also known as mixed-metal layered hydroxides, anionic. clays and hydrotalcite-like compounds) in the last four years, and among them several articles dealing with LDHs and polymers.

  Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of knowledge?

The scope of our paper was to produce a paradigm concerning the inorganic organic assembly composed of LDH and organic polymer, with special attention paid to the in situ polymerization process, and also to the tunability and versatility of these materials. It opened new routes to design LDH as reactive nanofiller for polymer.

  Would you summarize the significance of your paper in layman’s terms?

Our paper provides a basic knowledge toward a better understanding of certain aspects of solid state chemistry; in particular, aspects related to inorganic/organic lamellar assemblies as well as a useful comparison to other hybrid systems. It underlines the rules to "play" with the two parts comprising an organic/inorganic assembly, as in a kind of a "Lego-chemistry" tunable according to the targeted property.

  How did you become involved in this research and were any particular problems encountered along the way?

I become involved in lamellar inorganic structure and its related intercalation chemistry from my Ph.D. (at the Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel), and then more concentration on dual organic/inorganic framework during my postdoc at the University of Waterloo. At this time, I was inspired by the pioneering work of Mercouri Kanatzidis, the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, on conductive polymer and vanadium pentoxide assemblies. I really become involved in layered double hydroxides together with polymers when I was hired by the CNRS at the Université Blaise Pascal.

I find these assemblies very interesting as well as very promising for a lot of applications. The problems that I encounter are mostly that of the grain boundary effect on the conductive state of in situ formed polymer and the compatibility and dispersion ability of LDH nanofiller into polymer. The design needed to match the interleaved monomer to the charge density of the layers in order to induce in situ polymerization, or to fit the nature of the resulting hybrid assembly with a polymer, is quite exciting.

  Where do you see your research leading in the future?

Since 2001, a lot of attention has been paid to these materials with more and more elaborate systems along with new properties. From my own experience, I can see my research leading towards multifunctional materials, with this being strongly orientated by an ever-growing demand towards applications expressed from our political institutions. As a present group manager, I have to orientate the academic research as well as the applicated research. The latter has to feed the former, but our basic knowledge guarantees excellence and the possibility of progress.

  Are there any social or political implications for your research?

There are no obvious direct social implications of my research. However, the goal of most of the materials is to improve property. Some potential applications have implications in our everyday life.