Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Network Materials by the Sol−Gel Approach

Abstract

Organic/inorganic hybrid materials prepared by the sol-gel approach have rapidly become a fascinating new field of research in materials science. The explosion of activity in this area in the past decade has made tremendous progress in both the fundamental understanding of the sol-gel process and the development and applications of new organic/inorganic hybrid materials. In this review, a brief summary of the research activities in the field of organic/inorganic nanocomposite materials and a general background of the sol-gel chemistry are first given. The emphasis of this report, however, is placed on the synthesis, structureproperty response, and potential applications of the organic/inorganic hybrid networks that possess chemical bonding between the organic and inorganic phases, particularly those systems that were developed in our laboratory since 1985.

Modulation of the Silica Sol–Gel Composition for the Promotion of Direct Electron Transfer to Encapsulated Cytochrome c

“…It is known that ormosils can provide silica structures with different degrees of hydrophobicity and the associated change in the pore polarity may favor the electron transfer with the electrode [52][53][54] . So, at this point, the chemical modification of the silica is studied in order to obtain structures able to modulate the electrostatic interactions between the silica walls and cyt c. was assessed by contact angle measurement (see Table S1 in Supporting Information).…”

New Sol-gel Formulations to Increase the Barrier Effect of a Protective Coating Against the Corrosion and Wear of Galvanized Steel

“…Hybridization is not only a creative alternative to the design of new materials but also offers unique opportunities to develop innovative industrial applications 4 . These materials combine the hardness, wear resistance and thermal stability of the ceramic component with the flexibility, transparency and tunable adhesion of the organic materials [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] . The sol-gel method allows to control the synthesis of multifunctional hybrid materials, where the organic, inorganic and, in some cases, biological constituents are mixed at a nanometer scale [12][13][14][15][16] .…”

Designed synthesis of nanostructured siloxane–organic hybrids from amphiphilic silicon-based precursors

“…5,6 The chemical design of organosilanes at the molecular scale leads to modifications of the structures and properties of hybrids. However, the products are generally amorphous solids, and control of their nanostructure is one of the most important subjects with respect to the creation of advanced materials.…”