Fluorescence spectroscopy is employed to follow the ion exchange of an emissive dye - a carboxylated perylene imide - on a layered double hydroxide. The exchange of the carboxylate ions starts at the edges of the layered double hydroxide crystals and is followed by diffusion to the basal plane. Such space-resolved observations provide a solid basis for modelling and studying the mechanisms of exchange.
Roeffaers, M., Sels, B., Loos, D., Kohl, C., Mullen, K., Jacobs, P., Hofkens, J., & De Vos, D. (2005). In situ space- and time-resolved sorption kinetics of anionic dyes on individual LDH crystals. ChemPhysChem : a European journal of chemical physics and physical chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.200500238