ABSTRACT
The photoinduced dimerization of cinnamic acid and its derivatives has sparked continued interest since its initial reports, nearly one hundred years ago.
The reasons for such a privileged position in the annals of photochemistry surely lie in its intriguing solid-state behavior and its versatility in a number of industrial applications, ranging from cosmetics to polymers for photoresists and lithography. With so much interest, an exhaustive review of all the pertinent literature would be overly lengthy and beyond the scope of this book. Therefore, greater emphasis is placed on more recent advances, particularly those dealing with reactions in complex or organized media (polymers, aggregates, and supramolecular architectures).
